


Say You Won't Let Go

by love_a_sexy_trash_can



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Back muscles are...... Y E S, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cole tol; Kai smol, Crying, Dancing, Dancing in the Rain, Deaf Character, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Hair Playing, Hair Washing, Hair-pulling, Hugs, I like to think I'm funny, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kai has a small waist hA, Kissing, Kitbull reference too, Lloyd is a Little Shit(TM), M/M, Meeting the Parents, Muscles, NOW TIME TO SEND THIS TO THE NINJAGO WRITERS & GET PAID, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), Self-Harm, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Showers, Size Difference, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, So much smiling, Tattoos, The Butterfly Project, Trans Female Character, Trans Lloyd, Trans Male Character, Trans Skylor, Vomiting, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Weddings, a lot of that, also i drew my own fanart because FUCK IT, also yes the title is named after that song by James Arthur, always ask for consent kids, caring for each other, cole is an artist, cole makes kai have a safeword because YES, everyone is tring to set cole and kai up, i have a weakness for hair playing & size dif, i love my bois, i spew my love for Into The Spider-Verse, i used the comic sans trick and i wrote too much, i was thirsty for lava so i made it, i'm a proud mom, i've never had this much patience writing this much before, it was worth it, it's really painful with how slow it was, just a little, kai is his muse uwu, kai wrote the last tag, nah LIES because i'm dumb, quick bar fight, ray and maya love cole because who wouldn't?, some dude touched a girl without consent, that was an important PSA, the power of the gays was too strong, this fic is my baby, which is not cool AT ALL, why does size difference get me every time?, wipes tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-04 14:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18606391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_a_sexy_trash_can/pseuds/love_a_sexy_trash_can
Summary: Three months ago, it was all about the wedding, so there wasn't much time to dwell on the other little things until later.Falling in love was definitely one of those little things.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brain: hhhrrrrgh lava  
> brain: jaya wedding would be cute  
> brain: but gay  
> brain: what about BOTH
> 
> and that's how this fic came to be from my gremlin/galaxy brain, which accidentally posted the second chapter draft on Easter

“Kai, this dress doesn't make me look bad, right?” Nya asked, coming out with another dress. The two of them had been in the store for hours, looking for the dress, _the_ dress for Jay and Nya’s wedding. This new dress was sleeveless and had more of a floral design to it. Kai rolled his eyes after looking at his sister before returning to search for the perfect dress.

 

“Nya, no matter what you wear, you're going to look beautiful. You already know that, you're just expecting too much from yourself,” Kai responded and grimaced at one dress. Now _that_ one was hideous. “But seriously, what's the point in this? Why do you need a dress? Why not a kimono like Mom and Dad had when they married?” Nya scoffed.

 

“Kai, I already told you. Weddings have changed. People still do that one, but now there's something different to it in appearance. I dunno, but I want to find that dress today! I'm starting to go blind from all this white.” Nya shrugged before straightening out some wrinkles in the skirt of the dress. “I don't think this is the one. I'm gonna go change.”

 

“Maybe we should find you one that isn't purely white,” Kai commented, eyeing a dress that has a red tint to it. He could wear that one; he'd look cute as hell. “In my opinion, white isn't really a color that you can wear and pull off.” Nya giggled.

 

“I'll trust you on that. I don't know shit but fashion or what looks good or not. Keep trying to find the one for me,” she ordered before leaving for the dressing room. The woman who was helping them followed her in case she needed help getting out of the dress.

 

Kai clicked his tongue and smiled. His baby sister was almost completely grown. Soon she was gonna be married. Although, it wasn't necessarily what Kai used to envision. Instead of the traditional wedding their parents had (actually, their wedding was really improvised), Nya was having the more modern version of a wedding with a dress and a tuxedo. Kai wasn't disappointed, really, but it was different than what he had expected.

 

He couldn't help thinking about when he was little. He didn't have memories of it, but his parents had told him and Nya when he was little and would run around wearing one of their wedding kimonos and shouting for his prince or princess to arrive. He supposed it did make sense for him to do something like that; he had always wanted to have a wedding like the ones his parents had.

 

But for now, he was going to focus solely on his baby sister's wedding.

 

“Need any help, sir?” an older man came up to the brunet. He had several dresses in his arms, probably to put them away. Kai smiled and shook his head.

 

“No thanks, just looking while my sister changes,” he said, pushing more dresses down the rack. Damn, everything was starting to get blurry looking at all this white.

 

“Alright. Well, good luck. I hope you find the perfect one soon,” the man wished well before leaving. Kai sighed and walked over to one of the couches. Who knew shopping for _one_ wedding dress could be so stressful?

 

“Find it yet?” Nya asked, tightening the robe she was given around her waist. Kai shook his head. She groaned. “What if we never find it?”

 

“Whoa, you just used a forbidden word! Now I'm going to keep looking until I find it!” Kai leapt to his feet and went to a different rack, shuffling quickly. He gave quick commentary through noises. Nya could tell which ones were of disgust and which were impressed ones.

 

“I wish I could have a best man so I could give that to you,” Nya commented. “At least you get to walk me down the aisle. Promise not to cry?” Kai gasped, clutching his chest.

 

“How dare you say that? I won't cry while walking you down the aisle. I'll do that _after_. But what does it mean to walk the bride down the aisle again?”

 

“Uh, I'm pretty sure it's symbolic to letting the daughter leave and form a new life,” Nya guessed, crossing her arms and checking out a dress on one of the mannequins. Kai straightened up and stared at his sister.

 

“Shouldn't it be Dad walking you down instead?”

 

“I actually talked to him about it. You were always there for me. You're my brother, but you were so much like a dad. You took care of me even when you shouldn't have. You _earned_ this and Father understands. And he was really happy about it,” Nya giggled. Kai blushed and smiled a lot wider than he usually did. “Mother almost cried herself because she gets to see her two kids, practically adults, walk down the aisle and just… I dunno, it's probably with that symbolism of a new life. That stuff’s so cheesy.” Kai cackled. Then he suddenly fell silent.

 

“Uh, Nya? Come here,” the brunet said. Nya joined his side and gasped. “Nya, is this…”

 

“It's the one, Kai.” Her brother pulled the dress off the rack and thrust it into her arms.

 

“Try it on! Let's see the magic happen!” He shooed his sister back into the dressing room and ran back to the couch he was sitting in, making himself comfortable.

 

It was less than a minute before Nya came out again. She moved slowly like something would be ruined if she walked too fast or took longer strides. Looking up to meet Kai’s gaze, her eyes sparkled with joy, a smile splitting her face almost in half.

 

Kai was at the edge of his seat, his jaw slack. There was no way to truly describe how Nya looked. Not even Jay would be able to say anything. Everyone would be speechless.

 

“Nya…”

 

“Kai… This is the one.”

* * *

“Okay, how about this?” Jay started with a new beginning and cleared his throat. “You were someone that I wanted in my life, Nya. But now, as I see you, I know that I always want you with me.”

 

“Jay, I'm sorry, dude. I really am,” Cole said, moving his face so it wasn't leaning against his fist anymore. “But that was crap, man. You can do so much better.”

 

“But why do vows have to be so hard?!” Jay exclaimed, throwing himself back onto his bed. He groaned while Cole patted his curls. “I don't know if I'll be ready in time.”

 

“Not with that attitude,” Cole tried to encourage. “Try writing something else. Maybe about your beginnings or who Nya is to you.” Jay lifted his head and squinted, his mouth smirking.

 

“Should I really take advice from the guy who compared a proposal and Nya to ripping off a bandaid?” Cole’s cheeks darkened. He gently punched the smaller man.

 

“Shut up about that already!” Jay only laughed and flipped himself over so he was lying on his back. The two of them heard Cole’s phone buzz with a new message.

 

“Looks like Kai and Nya have found the dress,” Cole informed before sending a message back. He smiled for a few seconds before eventually putting his phone back in his pocket.

 

“I wish I could see it,” Jay groaned. He huffed and clenched his fists. “No matter! I can wait for several more months! No big deal, I can be stunned at the actual wedding!” Cole snickered, leaning against the bed frame. “So, I've been meaning to ask. How are you and Kai doing?” Jay asked. The smaller man was surprised by a raised eyebrow.

 

“What do you mean? What about me and Kai?” Cole asked, crossing his arms. Jay sat up, equally confused.

 

“Aren't you guys dating?” he simply asked with zero hesitation. Cole almost lost his balance, his face a lot darker with embarrassment.

 

“What?! No, we're not! I mean, that would be really nice, but why would you think that?” he sputtered.

 

“Dude, you two are always leaning against each other and helping when one of you is stuck or in trouble. You're both also really touchy,” Jay explained.

 

“Kai’s always touchy, man,” Cole scoffed, but the blush never left his face. “Remember when we won the Blade Cup and Kai basically cuddled me?”

 

“Yeah, but like, you do the same. And you were _just_ smiling when you were texting Kai back!” Jay shouted. “Dude, believe it or not, but I have a pretty good gaydar. And the two of you, you're practically saturated with all those feelings for each other. You're both just too dense to realize it.”

 

“Hey…”

 

“I'm serious, man! Ask him if he wants to hang out. It's a hangout, but it has all the elements of a date,” Jay offered. “And don't back out. Maybe you'll both realize something. After all, I want my best man to be happy as well. So, go get yourself some lovin’ from Hair Gel!” the freckled brunet shoved the other the best he could.

 

“And if he says no?” Cole asked, knowing there was always a negative possibility. Jay rolled his eyes as if his friend was too stupid for his own good.

 

“Trust me, Cole, Kai will not say no. Although, where do you think you two should hang out? Lovebirds need some time to themselves, you know,” Jay muttered the last part to himself, but Cole still heard him and whacked him on the face with a pillow.

 

“Maybe I'll just let him decide,” Cole shrugged. Jay whistled.

 

“You're so brave, Cole. So you are accepting that you want some alone time, right?”

 

Cole ended up pushing the smaller man off his bed.

* * *

Zane closed the final envelope and placed it at the top of the final stack. All the wedding invitations were now made and ready to send. The nindroid was very happy for his friends. Jay and Nya would be creating their own life and spend it together happily. Zane thought that was beautiful.

 

Lloyd groaned from the living room, bored out of his mind. “You finally done, right?” he asked, chewing on a lollipop. He needed to indulge from time to time.

 

So, basically every other day.

 

“Of course, Lloyd. What do you want to do since you're so bored?” Zane asked, fixing a crooked stack before taking a seat on the floor, his head resting next to Lloyd’s feet.

 

“I don't know. I guess just talk. I mean, so much has happened this past week. Mostly Jay freaking out over his vows, Kai and Nya spending almost an entire day looking for a wedding dress, and all of us planning the wedding itself and inviting the friends in our lives to it,” Lloyd said. “I guess I just want to know if anything changes after this is all over? Will Jay and Nya end up leaving the team? Or if they have kids that inherit their powers?” The blond physically shuddered. “I don't think we can handle mini-Jays.” Zane chuckled.

 

“Who knows what could happen? Relationships change people, for better or worse. This is obviously going to be for the better. Jay and Nya will officially be together, after so many years of struggling to stay that way,” Zane explained. “I doubt they would have children so soon. Even less likely for them to leave us permanently. Don't worry about that, Lloyd. Okay?”

 

The blond sighed through his nose. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“I believe this is the first wedding we've ever attended. Are you excited?” Zane asked, his inner machinery whirring louder to show his excitement.

 

“Oh yeah, definitely. You know what I'm also excited for?” Lloyd said with a shit-eating grin.

 

“What? Or do I even have to ask?”

 

“Finally, Cole is gonna ask Kai to _hang out_. Took him long enough. Even I saw how bad he's got it, and I've only ever truly had it bad for candy.” Zane sighed but still smiled. Really, everyone on the _Bounty_ could tell how much Cole liked Kai, and vice versa. It was unfortunate that the two of them were complete idiots and oblivious to each other’s feelings.

 

“Isn't it quite entertaining to see the two of them trying to get closer to each other without fully understanding why, though?” Zane asked. Lloyd snorted and bit through his lollipop.

 

“Definitely, but even we have our limits. If they don't realize it soon, I'm just going to lock them in a closet and do whatever,” Lloyd dared himself.

 

“Would that be the smartest idea?”

 

“Definitely not, but it'd at least get something done.”

* * *

After dinner, everyone split to enjoy the rest of the evening. Kai and Nya carefully put away the dress so no one else could see it. When they were asked how they got the dress fitted so quickly, the siblings only waved their hands and said Kai or their parents could do that. After Zane finished washing the dishes, he went to meditate in peace. Lloyd and Jay were playing video games. Cole was doing some light training while trying to think.

 

Did he have feelings for Kai? He huffed as he continued his bench pressing. He definitely didn't. Wasn't it normal for friends to hold each other whenever either one of you wanted to?

 

Cole set the rod back on the rack. Then again, he didn't necessarily do the same with the others, and he was pretty sure Kai didn't either. He stood up and stretched his legs and arms.

 

Why would Jay think they were dating? He and Kai just liked to be next to each other! Sure, they did hold hands and hug… a lot. But that was normal!

 

Right?

 

“Ow! Shit!” Cole screamed. He was trying to grab some dumbbells but ended up dropping one onto his foot. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

 

“Cole, you okay?” Kai rushed into the room, appearing out of nowhere. Instantly, he looped Cole’s arm around his shoulders and led him to the nearest seat. “What happened?”

 

“Just dropped a dumbbell on my foot. It’s not a big deal, man,” Cole said, trying to reassure the other. Kai only frowned and went to find the first aid kit. “Kai, c’mon. I'm serious. It doesn't even hurt that much anymore.”

 

“Yeah, well. I don't like seeing you hurt, Cole. I'm gonna get you some ice, just in case,” the Master of Fire said before leaving. Cole sighed and started to take off his shoe. His toes still throbbed but it didn't hurt as much anymore.

 

That was another thing. Kai is always there first to take care of him when he got hurt. Even if it's minor, Kai just zooms to his side probably faster than the Master of Speed. Cole kind of did the same thing, too. Whenever Kai fell down, he would always help him back up. And his smile was always a beautiful reward for Cole.

 

“Huh,” the Master of Earth said to himself. They were pretty good friends, weren't they?

 

“Okay, Cole. Brace yourself for cold,” Kai announced, holding an ice pack wrapped in a clean rag. Cole flinched at the drop in temperature before trying to relax and reached down to hold the ice pack himself. “God, why do your feet have to smell so bad, dude?”

 

“I can't control that!” Cole retorted, his face warming up. “They can't smell that bad, do they?” Kai raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

 

“I can help you with that, bro. I guess you're not too hurt, but I just want to make sure that you're okay,” Kai said, patting Cole’s knee and stood up. “Hey, has Jay figured out his vows yet?”

 

“Ha, no. He's been a nervous wreck the entire day. If he doesn't figure it out soon, he won't have anything,” Cole told him. Kai started to do pull-ups. His shirt rode up slightly but it was enough for Cole to notice.

 

“Maybe he should base his vows off their beginnings together or who Nya is to him and what she means to Jay,” Kai suggested, speaking between small grunts.

 

“That's what I said!” Cole shouted. He stood up and tried to put some weight on his foot. It felt fine now. He set down the pack and walked up to Kai, leaning against the wall. He smirked. “Hey, you think you could let me have a sneak peek at the dress?”

 

Kai dropped to the floor, landing on his feet with ease. “As if I'd ruin the surprise of the century.” His laugh rang like bells in Cole’s ears.

 

Wait… _what?_

 

“Okay, but my feet hurt from standing all day. I'm going to bed,” Kai suddenly stated. He gave Cole a quick hug. “Goodnight, dude.”

 

“Wait, Kai!” Cole sputtered out, suddenly remembering. The smaller man turned around. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. Maybe… tomorrow?” Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

 

Kai smiled and suddenly, the room felt warmer and brighter. “Definitely. Why wouldn't I want to hang out with my second favorite person in the world?”

 

“Uh, _second_ favorite?”

 

“Nya will always be first,” Kai said so bluntly that Cole became even more confused when he started to laugh. “I'm just joking, man. I love you all. I could never play favorites like that. Although, wanna know a secret?”

 

“Uh, yeah!” Kai took a couple of steps closer and stood on his toes. Cole had to lean down so Kai could whisper in his ear.

 

“You're definitely at the top of my list,” Kai whispered before giving him a surprise hug around the neck. Cole quickly responded, wrapping his arms around his waist. It was so _small_ , how is his waist so small?! “So, where do you wanna go?”

 

“Huh?” Cole uttered, not understanding for a moment. “Oh, yeah! Uh, I was actually thinking that I'd let you decide. You cool with that?”

 

“Yeah, I am!” Kai exclaimed, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. “And I know just where to go! I hope you like it, though.”

 

“Of course I will,” Cole said quickly with a smile. Kai’s face froze momentarily, his tan skin becoming rosier.

 

 _I like that look. It's pretty,_ Cole thought.

 

“Um, uh, cool. That's, uh-heh, great!” Kai stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck and playing with the hairs of his nape. “Goodnight, dude. I can't wait for tomorrow.”

 

“Me either,” Cole’s tongue said without his permission.

* * *

“Hey Nya, before you go,” Jay ran up to the woman, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Can I ask you a quick question?”

 

“Sure. What is it?” Nya said.

 

“Um, well, I was talking to Cole about this and I wanted to know. Does Kai have feelings for Cole?” Jay blurted out. Nya rubbed her chin. Not exactly the question she expected but you shouldn't have expectations with Jay. He'll shock you however he can.

 

Was that a pun? Goddammit, it was.

 

“Well, what kind of feelings? The ‘Oh wow, he's so cute. I'd date him’ feelings or the ‘God, I'm so in love that I don't even know that I'm in love with this man’ feelings?” Nya asked. Jay’s eyes widened and she knew she hit the jackpot.

 

“The last one, definitely. That's Cole, actually.”

 

“Are you saying we try to match them up?” Nya said with a smirk. Jay sighed and hugged her.

 

“I love you so much. You read my mind.”

 

“Pretty good for a Master of Water,” Nya joked, giving Jay a quick kiss on the cheek.

 

“Another question, sorry,” Jay said when he pulled away. Nya only waved her hand. “Can I join you with the wedding planning now?”

 

“Of course. But why?”

 

“Just an idea I had.”

 

“Should I be afraid?”

 

“No, but it'll involve Cole and your brother.”

 

“Okay, good. It's not that bad.”

* * *

Cole was glad that he followed Kai’s advice of wearing as much silk as he could. The brunet brought Cole to Ignacia and it was  _hot._  The sun beat down on his body and, even though the silk would help keep him cooler than his normal clothes, the muscular man still sweat heavily.

 

Kai, on the other hand, wore his normal clothes. He was used to the heat. After all, he grew up here and, as a bonus, was also the Master of Fire.

 

“How much do you remember of this place?” Kai asked him while they rode their dragons. It was hard to hear him at first since the wind was loud in their ears.

 

“Not much, and all that I do know is from when we went back in time. Sorry, bro,” Cole added even though he didn't know why.

 

“Nah, it's fine, bro. I get to show you around then and you can meet my parents properly,” Kai shouted back. Suddenly, his dragon shot forward and dove through the clouds, the hothead cheering. Cole followed at a slower pace. Diving was a trick he didn't like all that much.

 

When he landed on the ground, there were little children surrounding Kai’s dragon, their faces shining with excitement and sweat. Several of them took notice of Cole and ran to his dragon as well.

 

“They're so pretty!”

 

“Can we fly them?”

 

“I think I peed myself from being too happy,” a boy whispered loud enough to the girl beside him that Cole could also hear him. He snorted and walked up to Kai.

 

“How do you control them all?” he asked.

 

“I dunno. You just play games and hope they tire out before the sun reaches its peak. Hey!” Kai shouted at the children. “Who is the better stone skipper? Prove it to me right now!” Four or five kids ran off to find the best rocks they could. The others remained, petting the dragons. “Oh, Cole?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“See that girl there, playing with Slab’s tail?” Kai pointed to the girl. Cole nodded. “She's actually deaf and follows wherever the others go. Everyone's like family here, but I think Leah really brought us all together. We just want to take care of her. Come with me? I want to talk to her.”

 

“Sure. I'd like to meet her,” Cole said. As he followed Kai, he wiped his forehead, then his neck. How could he forget a hair tie, of all things?

 

“Here. You need it?” Kai held out a hair tie from his wrist. Cole took it gratefully. “Leah! Hi!” Kai shouted. The little girl looked up and ran into Kai’s arms and gave him as tight of a hug as she could. “How are you doing?”

 

Cole watched as the two of them had a conversation with their hands and faces. Kai spoke to emphasize what he was saying, but that was all he understood.

 

“Leah, this is my friend, Cole. Say hello to him,” Kai told the girl. Leah grinned and waved. With her other hand, she felt Kai’s throat. Without hesitation, he repeated, “Hello.”

 

“Hel-lo,” Leah said. Cole’s mouth was open for a second before he closed it and smiled.

 

“Hi,” he said back, holding out a hand. Leah had to take his with both of her hands and shook like crazy.

 

“Leah,” Kai said, grabbing her attention with a tap on her shoulder. “I'm going to show Cole around. Go with the other kids at the river over there and tell me who is the better stone skipper. Have fun.” Leah nodded and gave him another hug. She waved at Cole before running to the nearest river where all the kids were.

 

“She seems really sweet,” Cole commented.

 

“She is. I'm just glad she's doing okay but, you know, I still worry,” Kai said with a shrug. His face crinkled as he smiled. “So, wanna meet my parents first?”

* * *

The moment they reached the hill where Four Weapons was at the top of, Kai took off and ran like a child returning home from school, all while screaming, “Mom! Dad!”

 

He wrapped his arms around Maya first, then Ray. “I missed you both. How is life back home like?”

 

“Well, it's peaceful for once,” Ray teased, messing with his son's hair. Kai grumbled but did nothing. “Who's this one, Kai?”

 

“Uh, hi,” Cole greeted, suddenly feeling like he was going to be interrogated by Kai’s parents. Why did he feel so awkward? “I'm Cole. You probably don't remember me all that well.”

 

“Oh, I remember you. Now, get out of that sun before you burn,” Maya ordered in that way that was sweet but had to be obeyed. And he did.

 

“Ow,” Cole grunted, rubbing his head as he hit it against either the frame of the entrance or the shop’s sign.

 

“Cole, you okay?” Kai instantly stood on the counter to try and check Cole’s head. He can't be _that_ short and Cole can't be _that_ tall, could they?

 

“Kai, I'm fine. I'm just freakishly tall,” the Master of Earth joked. He still waited for Kai to finish his inspection and to step down from the counter. Normally, Cole would not pay attention to something like that, but it felt like a bazillion times more embarrassing when Ray and Maya were right there, watching them.

 

“Hey, Mom, Dad? Are your kimonos still where I put them last?” Kai asked. Maya filled a cup with steaming water for the tea that was being boiled before her son and his friend arrived.

 

“Of course. We had no reason to move them elsewhere,” she responded, blowing on the surface of her drink. Ray poured himself a cup, smirking.

 

“Are you planning to dress up for old time's sake?” he teased his son. Kai could feel his cheeks become warmer, so he was definitely blushing. Cole couldn't help but feel envious. He wanted a family like this.

 

“I was just going to show Cole. That's okay, right?” Kai asked, suddenly insecure.

 

“Of course it is. But tell us if you find any scorpions or anything up there,” Maya told him. “And stay for some tea!”

 

“Of course we will! Come on, Cole,” Kai said, grabbing the other's much larger hand and led him upstairs. Cole let out a soft chuckle and waved at Kai’s parents. He still had to duck until the upper floor, finally being able to stand up and straighten his back out. “Hey, wanna see my old room?”

 

“I thought that bed downstairs was your…” Cole trailed off, incredibly embarrassed, especially with Kai laughing softly at him.

 

“No, that was my parents’ bed. Originally my dad's, too. They built this themselves when they decided to have a family one day. This is my room, right here.” The hothead opened the door and pulled Cole inside, which made the larger man realize that they never let go of each other's hand. He considered pulling away but decided against it.

 

He found comfort in his choice when Kai noticeably tightened his grip.

 

“Probably a surprise, isn't it?” Kai joked, looking around his old room, memories flooding back to him. Cole had to be honest- it was adorable. The bedroom was small, the bed even more so, but something about the size of the room and the fact that Kai, a guy with a personality too big for anything and anyone to contain, used to live here was soothing.

 

“I think it's cute,” Cole finally commented. Kai giggled and tried to cover his mouth with his free hand. As if he were reluctant, Kai let go to walk over to his old bed and reached underneath it. He pulled out a very large box and sat down on the mattress, patting the space beside him for Cole. The larger man snorted. “I'd probably break it in half, dude.”

 

“Trust me, I had to put a lot of heavy things on this all at once and it's still somehow intact. It's stronger than it looks, trust me,” Kai insisted until Cole finally acquiesced and sat down next to him. His leg did brush against Kai’s but nothing was said about it. “Oh, fun fact! I actually used to share this room with Nya when we were kids until she began to bleed.” Cole’s eyebrows furrowed together, concerned.

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“Period, dude. She had her period,” Kai explained.

 

“Oh…”

 

“I used to think that it was only a one-time thing because I didn't want my baby sister to be in so much pain again. Then I was proven wrong and angry at who or whatever decided that creating periods was a good idea,” Kai said, his nails lightly scratching the lid of the box.

 

“What if it was an Oni that created periods?” Cole joked, nudging Kai a little. The brunet chuckled.

 

“One, it would make sense. Two, that still wouldn't deter me from punching them in the face.” Cole tried to stop the bubbling of a cackle in his chest. He hated laughing out loud; he sounded ugly when he did.

 

“Um, heh, whatever, man. You gonna show me what's in the box or what?” Cole asked, trying to push his dreads away from his face and neck the best he could with it all in the ponytail, but that would only happen if he tilted his head like a dog.

 

“Oh yeah, almost forgot! Here, you can open it, actually,” Kai said, quickly changing his mind and placed the box on Cole’s lap as fast as he possibly could as if he were suddenly afraid to touch him. Kind of a weird way to act considering they were just holding hands. “Just- just _please_ be careful, okay? These mean a lot to me.”

 

Kai’s golden eyes bore into Cole’s hazel ones, begging him to do what he was asked and wow, were those green flecks in his irises? Cole nodded, his head feeling way too light for some reason.

 

“Of course. Why wouldn't I?” he said before slowly removing the lid and setting it down behind him on the little space of bed that was left. He looked at Kai, silently asking for permission to touch the red fabric. Kai nodded and scooted a little, a lot, closer. Now their legs were full on touching.

 

“What is this?” Cole whispered, somehow afraid that speaking too loud might damage or ruin the article of clothing.

 

“It's a wedding kimono. This one is my dad's. This one,” Ka said, grabbing the other kimono, a light blue,” is my mom's. Ever see me wear blue before?” Cole shook his head. “Running around and wearing my mom's wedding kimono was probably the only time I ever did wear blue.”

 

“I bet you looked cute,” Cole’s tongue blurted out _again_.

 

Although, was it really that bad if Cole also got to see Kai’s face turn the same shade of red as the fabric he held right after?

 

Nah, it probably, definitely wasn't a bad thing.

 

“Uh, um, yeah. I, uh- I’m,” Kai coughed, trying to clear his throat and to end his stuttering, “not- uh. I guess I was, I dunno.” He coughed again and tried to breathe. It was just a compliment, friends call each other “cute” all the time.

 

“So… the kimono?” Cole tried to break the silence growing between them. Kai fumbled, trying to not let the clothing fall to the floor.

 

“Right, right! Forgot that, too!” Kai held the kimono against his body. He was surprised that it looked like that it could actually fit him. Was he small or something? “So, yeah. I used to wear these all the time when I was little. My parents told me I would be waiting for my prince or princess to come and marry me.”

 

“Aw, that's adorable!” Cole cooed, his thumb rubbing against the fabric of Ray's old kimono.

 

“Yeah. Y’know, I always imagined that when I would get married, it would be like my parents’, except planned way ahead of time. Although, they do get an excuse, getting married in the middle of a war they were fighting in,” Kai said, snorting. He had finally calmed down and folded the kimono carefully before returning it to its place. He sat back down next to Cole. “Still gonna look at them?”

 

“Mm-hmm,” the larger man hummed. He unconsciously lifted the box higher, giving Kai permission to rest his head on Cole’s lap. The fire wielder would always say that Cole was like a pillow and was just so comfy. And in all honesty, Cole liked the feeling of someone's weight on him; it was comforting to him.

 

He studied the designs of each kimono. They were so unique and different from each other like they were made for only one person to wear.

 

Cole didn't realize his fingers were threaded through Kai’s hair until the brunet hummed contently. Smiling, he set the box down, covering it with the lid haphazardly, and lightly scratched Kai’s scalp.

 

“That's nice,” Kai muttered, his eyes closed. Cole smiled to himself. Kai looked so relaxed, it made him wish he had some sort of genie to wish for eternal calm and peace just so this look would never leave the smaller man’s face. Kai was always so stressed, it was a wonder his hair wasn't completely grey or even white yet.

 

“Hey Cole,” Kai suddenly spoke up, one eye cracking open to catch Cole staring at him like… well, who knows what he was thinking about. “Have you ever thought about getting married or anything like that?” The brunet shifted so he was more comfortable while still being about be to look straight up at Cole in his new position. The Master of Earth never stopped playing with Kai’s hair. Usually, whenever he started, Kai wouldn't let him stop until they were either interrupted or one or both of them fell asleep. All those times of playing with his hair had Cole know each and every one of Kai’s sweet spots. As he rubbed his chin, his lightly scratched the hairs of Kai’s nape. The brunet sighed shakily.

 

“I dunno. I probably didn't think about it because I didn't know two guys or two girls could get married when I was a kid, so seeing all the ‘hyper-hetero’ weddings everywhere always kind of bothered me because I could never see myself being with a woman,” Cole explained in one breath. “The only wedding I actually cared to hear about was my parents’, and that was because my mom made it seem a lot more interesting than what was advertised.” Cole chuckled at the memory of one story. “Apparently, my mom accidentally spun my dad into the cake and ruined it entirely.” Kai let out a soft, muffled gasp.

 

“You must have been horrified,” Kai said, his eyelids feeling droopy. Cole tugged his hair slightly but was smiling.

 

“Well, I was six when I first heard that part of the story, so I was obviously upset,” Cole said. Kai chuckled and closed his eyes again. But that didn't mean the questions were over.

 

“Do you want to get married someday, Cole?” Kai asked through a yawn. Cole switched to tucking little hairs behind Kai’s ear.

 

“I guess. I haven't thought about that either. You?” Cole shifted so he could be comfortable too while making sure Kai didn't move too much.

 

“Definitely. I was actually kind of hoping I would get married before my sister, but I guess destiny-”

 

“Or Cloud Kingdom,” Cole said, giggling. Kai did the same.

 

“Yeah, or Cloud Kingdom had other ideas for me,” Kai finished.

 

“I'm sure that'll happen to you soon,” Cole whispered. He lightly tapped Kai’s cheek when he noticed the other was falling asleep. “Hey, stay awake or we won't get to have tea with your parents. I want to get to know them.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Kai groaned, trying to sit up again. He gave Cole a quick hug around the waist before trying to stand. “Oh, my leg is asleep.”

 

“I gotcha,” Cole said, instantly holding Kai by the waist and practically carrying him like a puppy. “Should I put the box away?”

 

“It's fine, I got it. Just help me keep my balance,” Kai said and reached for the box, covered it, and returned it underneath the bed. “Let's go, I want some tea.”

 

Ray and Maya were sitting on the bed in the corner when Kai and Cole came back downstairs. “Still want some tea? It might be cold,” Ray teased.

 

“It's fine, I can heat it up,” Kai shot back, his voice tinkling with laughter.

 

“Kai, is your leg okay?” Maya worried, checking her son's limb.

 

“I'm fine. This big lug is just being a great friend and helping me stay up until my leg wakes up again,” the brunet said, hugging his mom with one arm. Cole smiled but a lot smaller than he usually did. Suddenly, he felt shy around Kai’s parents. He didn't know why; most of what he heard from Kai and Nya were things that described them and very chill people. But now it felt like he was being interrogated.

 

“Alright, here,” Maya offered the two of them their cups of tea. They joined Kai’s parents on the bed.

 

“What were you two doing?” Kai asked, heating up his tea quickly before taking a sip. Cole grimaced at the lukewarm temperature of his. Without even saying anything to him, Kai reached over and held his cup until steam began to rise and let go.

 

“Uh, thanks,” Cole said, blowing on the surface before drinking.

 

“We were just talking about what to do for the wedding,” Ray said, examining a piece of cloth in his hands. “To save time and money, Maya and I decided to make our own outfits.”

 

“Uh, Dad?” Kai spoke up. “I wanted to be sure. Are you really okay with me walking Nya down the aisle? Because, if you want, you can do it. I wouldn't mind.”

 

“Kai,” Ray said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. “Of all the people who could have earned the honor of walking your sister down that aisle, I can only think of one person worthy and it's you. You were there when we couldn't be-”

 

“Well, you were kidnapped,” Kai added in.

 

“Yes, but that makes no difference. Nothing would make us happier than to see the two of you walking side by side, all grown up and ready for the next chapter in life,” Ray explained, giving Kai’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

 

“Don't doubt yourself, Kai. Every choice, every decision you ever made impacted the way Nya saw you. Her wanting you to walk with her down the aisle says just how much you mean to her,” Maya added in.

 

Cole felt out of place. This entire conversation was between family and he was _not_ family. A close friend, definitely, but that was it.

 

“I guess,” Kai muttered into his cup before drinking more tea. Changing the subject, Kai said cheerfully, “Hey, Cole’s Jay’s best man. Pretty cool, isn't it?”

 

“Oh, really? How sweet,” Maya complimented. Cole felt his face warm up just a little. Thank goodness his skin was dark enough that a faint blush could go by unnoticed.

 

“Yeah. Jay’s my best friend, and we just get each other. I was so honored that he picked me, and I still am,” Cole said, trying to hide himself behind his cup. He saw Ray raise his eyebrow slightly but didn't say anything about it.

 

“Do you have your outfits ready yet or do you need some help?” Maya asked, clearly offering her and Ray's assistance.

 

“Jay already showed me the fabrics that I should probably wear, but I haven't been fitted yet. I probably shouldn't put that off anymore; I'm a big guy,” Cole said, adding that last part mostly to himself.

 

“We can help you with that,” Ray immediately jumped in. “Our wedding kimonos? We actually made those ourselves. We'd be happy to help you get fitted.”

 

“Are you sure? I don't want to waste your time,” Cole tried to dissuade the older adults. Maya only waved her hand at his face.

 

“Time is relative. We don't mind. Just stop by when you can so we can get started,” Maya said calmly. Cole looked away and downed the rest of his tea even though it was still too warm for him.

 

“Thank you, ma’am,” Cole choked out.

 

“Don't you dare be formal with us. Just call us Ray and Maya, alright?” the woman said, her smile relaxing all the tension in Cole’s body.

 

“Okay,” he said.

* * *

The two of them flew back to the _Bounty_ after saying goodbye to Kai’s parents and trying to keep the children from being too upset of the dragons leaving. It was amazing to Cole how none of those kids were terrified of giant reptiles that could easily crush or eat them all. Then again, like Kai and Nya, those kids probably heard about stories with dragons for their entire lives.

 

Kai yawned loudly, stretching like a cat. He was so tired, he was about ready to pass out in the hallway. In the midst of rubbing his eyes to try and stay awake, Kai suddenly felt a lot taller and his center of balance told him he was sideways.

 

“I got you,” Cole whispered, carrying Kai bridal style to their shared room. Sure, they can rebuild the _Bounty_ but not with separate rooms? Well, they could always install new rooms or just stay at the monastery if they so wished.

 

“Thanks, bro,” Kai mumbled, curling up against Cole’s chest.

 

“How are you so tired, man?” Cole chuckled.

 

“Think I was so excited for today I didn't sleep all that much. Also, Jay started to snore,” Kai explained softly. Cole clicked his tongue.

 

“Don't I snore, too?” he asked. Back when they first started sharing a room, the others would complain about how loudly he snored.

 

“Yeah, but I got used to it,” Kai said. “Jay’s snoring because he's so nervous and I'm not used to it yet.”

 

“Aw, I'm honored,” Cole joked, opening the door to the bedroom. “Damn, where are the others? Did they all just decide to leave?”

 

“I think Nya went to meet up with Pixal and Skylor today to go through dresses for the maids of honor,” the smaller man muttered. “Maybe Jay is helping with the decor? Dunno.”

 

“Geez, you're like a sleepy puppy. Stay awake for me, dude. I don't want you sleeping in sweaty clothes,” Cole said, running one hand through Kai’s hair despite his whines. “I thought you liked your hair being played with.”

 

“Yeah, but it makes me more sleepy! You know that. And my clothes are not sweaty,” Kai shot back before rolling out of Cole’s arms and standing up. He paused and sniffed at his armpits before quickly pulling away. Turning around to face Cole, he asked, “Are you gonna take a shower, too? You smell worse than me.”

 

Cole threw the closest pillow at Kai.

 

The guys had all showered together before, so it wasn't a big deal for Kai and Cole to be standing in the same steam-filled room, completely naked and getting rid of the day's smell that clung to their skin.

 

“Hey, Kai?” Cole spoke up, trying to wash his feet with body wash. He remembered that horrible time of when he used 2-in-1 or worse, 3-in-1. He always felt janky until Kai bought him separate bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Cole didn't stop saying “thank you” for the entire evening after he showered. “Can I ask you something? About you and Skylor?”

 

It was quiet between the two of them and Cole wondered if he somehow said something he shouldn't have.

 

“We broke up if that answers your question,” Kai finally said in a surprisingly happy voice. “We decided that we're better off as friends. It worked out pretty well, actually.”

 

“How'd you know I was… gonna…” Cole said slowly, putting his foot down little by little to look at Kai, removing his hand from the wall that kept his balance.

 

“Nya had asked before. So did Lloyd,” the hothead explained tersely.

 

“Oh. Cool, cool,” Cole nodded, murmuring to himself. For some reason, his stomach knotted up, but in a good way.

 

Did that even make sense?

 

“Hey, can you help me with my back? I can help you with your back, too, if you want me to,” Kai offered. Cole nodded even though Kai couldn't see it and took the loofah from the smaller pair of hands. “Thanks.”

 

“Only doing it because I can never wash my back entirely,” Cole teased. Kai laughed. “Okay, I'm gonna be honest here. Your laugh is literally the cutest thing ever.”

 

Kai snorted. “Liar. Your laugh is so much cuter than mine.”

 

“Nah, my laugh is so gross.”

 

“Bet!” Kai shouted. “You just sound so happy when you laugh and it just feels so nice to listen to!”

 

Cole stuttered, trying to form a “Thanks” or some kind of comeback, but his tongue decided to stop doing its job. So he just stayed quiet, his face burning and his hands scrubbing Kai’s back.

 

“Point, Kai,” the brunet said with a smirk. After Cole stopped scrubbing and washed off the suds, they turned around, and Kai was left staring at the wide expanse of Cole’s back.

 

Wow.

 

“Pass me your scrub thingy,” Kai ordered.

 

“It's called a loofah, stupid.”

 

“Whatever. It scrubs. Now give it, please.”

 

“Oh, a ‘please’. What a gentleman,” Cole snickered. He handed Kai his loofah and let the fire master get to work.

 

“You're so lucky that you build muscle so easily,” Kai said, trying to still have a conversation with the other. “Usually, I think I'm pretty buff by myself. But when I stand next to you, I look like a twink or whatever.”

 

“Nah, you'd be a twunk, for sure,” Cole corrected while checking his nails. He needed to trim them; they were getting too long. “But why are you being so weird about your body? You're usually so confident in your own skin.” Kai shrugged, wearing his embarrassment on his face like a mask.

 

“I don't know. I just… I wish I could be just a little bit taller, a little bit more muscular. I wanna make something better about myself but I haven't been able to no matter how hard I try,” Kai explained, his voice low. Cole looked over his shoulder and frowned at Kai’s sudden change of mood. He hated when Kai had one of his down moments. Cole treasured and practically lived for Kai’s happiness, so it killed him to see Kai so upset about himself when he was usually so confident and comfortable in his own skin. He turned around and took his loofah from Kai’s hands and hung it on the hook so it would still get wet and have the soap washed away.

 

“Listen to me, Kai. You're perfect just the way you are. Don't change anything about yourself. You're beautiful like this,” Cole said as confidently as he could. He was never the best at words. Kai craned his neck to look up at Cole. Their eyes held each other's gaze for several minutes until Cole did something that he didn't think to do. He didn't just not think twice, he didn't even think once. It just _happened_.

 

Leaning down, Cole kissed the top of Kai’s head. He straightened up with a smile until he realized, looking at Kai’s face, what he had done.

 

“Shit! Um, uh,” Cole shouted, flailing his arms. “Forget that happened, dude! I don't know why I did that. Why’d you _do_ that, Cole?!”

 

“I'd rather not forget, thank you,” Kai said with a shit-eating grin on his face. His expression softened, however, when his eyes met Cole’s. “But seriously, thanks. I appreciate it, a lot. And I found it pretty endearing that you think I'm beautiful like this, especially since you said that while we're both naked and wet.”

 

Cole had to stifle a scream while Kai cackled.

 

As they dried off and got into their pajamas, Kai hugged Cole tightly around the waist. “Thanks, Cole.” The larger man smiled and petted Kai’s damp hair. Clicking his tongue, he grabbed Kai’s smaller towel and began to dry Kai’s hair more thoroughly, ignoring his surprised squawk.

 

“First of all, I'm not letting you catch a cold, and don't give me that fire stuff, I don't care. Second of all,” Cole paused, making sure that Kai’s hair was completely dry before tossing the towel as close to the laundry basket as he could, “you're welcome, dude. Anything for you.”

 

Kai narrowed his eyes. “I probably look like a lion now.”

 

“Nope, more like a fluffy but really pissed off cat,” Cole fixed the comparison. Kai only stuck out his tongue in response. Cole chuckled and opened the door, peeking around the corner. “Sounds like the others are home. You wanna eat dinner or you too tired?”

 

“Tired. Wanna sleep,” Kai said with a yawn. Cole bit his tongue and cheek, then grabbed Kai’s hand and pulled him to the shared bedroom. “So, you said anything for me, right?”

 

“Oh god, what?” Cole said, probably already regretting the choice of words he used.

 

“Can I sleep in your bed with you?” Kai asked quietly like he was afraid of the others listening in to what he was saying, even though they were on the other side of the ship.

 

“Why?” Cole asked, not because he was uncomfortable- no, he was definitely down for it, sharing a bed with Kai- but because he wanted to know the reason.

 

“I just want to. You're comfy and I kind of still want you to play with my hair, I guess,” Kai muttered, tightening his grip on Cole’s hand. He really, _really_ didn't want to let go for some reason. “Can I? Unless there's not enough space, then it's chill. I don't mind, dude,” he rambled on, trying to keep himself busy by shuffling around on his feet. He went quiet and almost seemed to purr as Cole threaded his fingers through his brown hair. It was so soft now, having been washed and thoroughly dried and no hair gel making it all stiff anymore.

 

“It's fine. I think there's plenty of room. Just wish we could have our own rooms, though,” Cole reassured the brunet. He pulled Kai to his bed and gestured for him to crawl in first.

 

“I get the wall?” Kai gasped softly, a small smile on his face. He softly squealed and crawled onto the bed. After he made himself comfortable, Cole joined him, laying on his side with his back to the rest of the room. It was as if he was protecting Kai from the rest of the world. In many ways, he wanted to do that and he knew the feeling was mutual. He and Kai both really care about each other and their friends.

 

“Okay?” Cole asked for confirmation. Kai nodded, his tired face beaming. Cole scooted closer so he would be less on the edge of his mattress. Trying to find an excuse to make just a little more room, Cole pulled Kai a little closer, holding him by the waist.

 

 _SMALL_ , his brain screamed to itself. With his other hand, so he wouldn't end up sleeping on it and also because Kai wanted him to, Cole carefully tangled his fingers into brown locks again. He never realized how long Kai’s hair actually was until now; it reached his shoulder and curled just a little, mostly at the tips. It made him look more pretty. Maybe he could convince Kai to ditch the hair gel every so often.

 

Kai sighed as Cole brushed his hair with his fingers. Already, he felt more sleepy but way more relaxed. He rested his head against Cole’s chest, happy that the Master of Earth decided to not wear a shirt. To repay him, Kai looked up and gave Cole a quick peck on his jawline.

 

“Thanks for today,” Kai whispered. He didn't want to break the silence of the room and ignored the chatter of their friends that was gradually growing in volume. “It means a lot to me, so thanks. Uh, again. Heh.”

 

“Of course. I had a lot of fun. Your parents are great, dude.”

 

“They definitely like you, Cole. Although, who wouldn't, you big teddy bear?” Kai commented, rubbing his face against Cole’s chest. He didn't see Cole’s eyes widen in surprise. “Hey, goodnight, man. Love you.”

 

“Uh, love you too,” Cole said back, not really over the fact that Maya and Ray actually _like_ him. That was an accomplishment!

 

Kai couldn't help but feel warm, and he knew that it was not his element at play. Cole said it back to him…

 

He was so happy to see their friendship developing.

* * *

“Nya, wait!” Jay hissed out as Nya opened the bedroom door as quietly as she could.

 

“Sh!” she shushed the freckled man. “Look, Cole’s asleep. I told you.” Jay whined softly and crossed his arms.

 

“Fine, I'll tell the others to keep it down,” Jay finally acquiesced. Then he frowned as he looked around. “Hey, where's your brother?”

 

Nya checked her brother's bed. Empty, not even a wrinkle. She stared at Cole’s back before getting closer.

 

“Nya! He's sleeping,” Jay whisper-yelled at her. She only chuckled and beckoned him to step closer. “What is it? I- Ah. Oh. Aww.”

 

“I know, so cute,” Nya cooed. Kai was completely hidden because of Cole’s body. The bigger man had his hands on the other's waist and in his hair, holding him a lot closer than he probably needed to. Kai was pressed against Cole’s torso, his face holding no care in the world. Nya pulled out her phone and quickly took several pictures. “Hehe, I love blackmail.”

 

“Nya…”

 

“ _Fine,_  but they are so cute. You think they finally got together?” she nudged Jay. He pouted as he thought of an answer.

 

“Knowing the two of them… obviously not.”

* * *

“Lloyd, no! That's not a smart thing to do!” Zane shouted, trying to stop the Green Ninja, hero of Ninjago, from mixing seven different kinds of cereal into one bowl. “You'll get sick!”

 

“I don't care, I'm eating this!” the blond cried out, clutching his bowl to his chest. “Zane, only come near me if you have milk. Otherwise, I will hiss at you.”

 

“How evil,” Jay commented while trying to make shorthand notes for the wedding decor that he and Nya want. “Nya, what do you think about flowers as centerpieces? Or is that a bit too generic?”

 

“Uh, maybe we could make our own centerpieces, like tiny sculptures,” Nya called out from the bridge of the _Bounty._

 

“Aww, cute- Hey!” Lloyd cried out as Zane succeeded in taking the bowl of cereals away.

 

“You're having fruit first, young man. Hey, don't you pout at me,” Zane scolded. He tossed an orange at Lloyd before beginning to crack several eggs into the pan. “Hey, can someone wake up Kai and Cole already? I'm going to serve breakfast is approximately twenty-three minutes and forty-eight seconds.” Jay snorted at Zane’s adamant accuracy.

 

“I'll do it,” Lloyd said, standing up from his seat.

 

“Eat your orange,” Zane insisted.

 

“Okay, dear mother of mine!” Lloyd could hear Nya cackling from the bridge.

 

As Lloyd was about to open the door to their shared bedroom, he could hear soft whispering. He pressed his ear against the door to try and listen in.

 

“I mean, obviously it's big, but… so, so cute,” he heard Kai murmur to Cole before immediately pulling away, so he couldn't hear Cole’s hushed retort. He knocked sharply to announce his presence.

 

 _They better not be doing or talking about anything gross, for the love of my grandpa,_  Lloyd thought before opening the door. “Hey, you guys awake and alive? Zane’s almost done with breakfast,” he said, leaning into the room, turning on the light so he was able to see Cole and Kai more easily. The Master of Earth grunted at the sudden change of lighting. Slowly, he rolled over, finally letting Kai out. “There we go. Hey, uh, what were you guys just talking about?”

 

“Mm, what?” Kai croaked out, stretching his arms and back.

 

Did Kai really want Lloyd to say it? For Grandpa’s sake, he needed new friends. He wondered how Brad was doing lately.

 

“You were, uh, talking about something big being… cute.” There, he said it!

 

“Oh,” Cole spoke up from the floor, currently doing a set of pushups. “We were talking about Rottweilers and other big dogs. Then Kai brought up coyotes and wolves and tried to convince me that they were cute, too. First of all, you're wrong. Second of all, I'm right.” Kai pouted and scrunched his nose.

 

“They _are_ cute! You're just stupid!” he whined and tried to mess Cole up by stepping on him. The larger man only used it as extra weight to exercise with. “How dare you, dude.”

 

Lloyd shoved his hands in his pocket. Should he be ashamed of the fact that the first thing his mind went to with what he heard was something dirty?

 

Probably but what was shame at this point? What was anything at this point?

 

Whoa, that was too deep.

 

“Okay, whatever. I'm gonna finish my orange,” Lloyd said before leaving the room.

 

Cole stood up and cracked his knuckles, smiling at Kai. The hothead only crossed his arms and legs and turned his head away. “Aw, Kai. C’mon.”

 

“Coyotes and wolves are cute. Admit it, you fool.” Cole had a blank expression on his face before picking Kai up. “Dude! Put me down!”

 

“Food first, then we discuss,” Cole insisted. He pouted but Kai silently agreed. “Hey, you have any dreams last night? Can't believe I forgot to ask you?”

 

“We were talking a lot about marriage yesterday, so yeah. But I couldn't see who I was marrying so that sucked,” Kai said, biting his lip.

 

“Aw.” Coke ruffled Kai’s hair a bit and then remembered what he thought about last night. “Y’know, you should really let your hair down more often.”

 

“Yeah right,” Kai scoffed. “It ruins my bad boy aesthetic if my hair is down, dude.”

 

“Trust me, you give off more of a soft dumbass vibe than a bad boy,” Cole teased. He laughed as Kai tried to pummel him with his fists. “That's a good thing, bro! Besides, you look adorable with your hair down.”

 

Cole watched as even Kai’s ears burned to the color of his pajama shirt and boxers. “Please put me down,” he muttered. He sounded upset but he was still blushing and hugged Cole’s arm. That is until he smirked and stared at Cole. “You just laughed out loud and it was the greatest thing ever.”

 

It was a long pause. “FUCK!”

 

“Cole, it was so cute!”

 

“Nooooooo!”

 

“Cole!” Kai tried to move Cole’s hands away from his face. He wouldn't budge. “Cole. Hey. It's okay.”

 

“It's not,” Cole spoke, his voice muffled from behind his hands. “I just… I just hate the way I laugh. It sounds ugly.” He couldn't help it. Normally, he had a quiet laugh when he could control it. But other times, it would just be so loud, everyone else would be quiet. It made him feel bad.

 

Kai sighed. He understood what Cole was feeling. “I get it. No one likes everything about themselves. But if it changes your mind, your laugh is probably the greatest thing I've ever heard.” Slowly, Cole peeked through his fingers as they parted. He saw Kai smiling at him like he was the most beautiful masterpiece in the world. He lowered himself as Kai stood on his toes, kissing his forehead.

 

“Thanks,” Cole murmured. He grinned widely and grabbed Kai by his hands, pulling him in the direction of the kitchen. “Now let's go, I wanna eat!”

 

When they got to the kitchen, Lloyd was shoveling mixed cereal in his mouth and Zane just watched him with arms crossed, a look of pure disappointment on his face. Jay and Nya were making quick sketches of different sculptures for the centerpieces.

 

“Took you two long enough,” the nindroid said, smiling in the Earth and Fire ninjas’ direction. He held out two separate plates. The way the food was stacked suddenly made Cole realize how much he ate compared to the others.

 

“Kai, are you eating enough?” he asked in a hushed voice when they thanked Zane and took their plates. “That doesn't look enough.”

 

“Oh, Cole. Dearly beloved Cole,” Kai started with his dramatic flair. “Never forget that I was once a poor boy from an isolated village. I will most likely never be able to eat as much as an average person. That's just how it be sometimes.” Kai only shrugged before kneeling at the kotatsu and bowed slightly before eating.

 

“Uh, okay.” Cole still felt a little worry. He didn't like to see the others neglect themselves in any way. He just wanted to make sure Kai was healthy and alright. “Y’know, my family never really did do this sort of thing very often, sitting at a kotatsu and praying over our food, even just to say thanks. Is that weird?”

 

“Wait, Jay, no!” Nya’s scream cut through the air.

 

“What, what is it?” he jumped and shouted back.

 

“Okay, just erase that and forget that even existed.”

 

“Oh god, it's gross.”

 

Kai giggled at the two of them. “No, I don't think it's too weird. I mean, a lot of people probably do that.”

 

“Okay, cool. Uh, you think I should see your parents today or should I wait?” Cole changed the subject quickly.

 

“No, go as soon as you can. That way you're not rushing to get fitted before the wedding,” Kai advised. “If you want, I can keep you company, although I'm sure my parents can do that just fine.”

 

“No, please. Come with me. I love your parents, but… they're your _parents_. It'd be really awkward,” Cole chuckled. It was true, it would be awkward to be in Kai’s old home with his parents but not him, but Cole also just wanted his company.

 

“Okay, yeah. That makes sense,” Kai agreed.

 

Neither of them noticed Lloyd and Zane watching them, sharing a knowing glance between themselves.

* * *

“Alright, these are looking great,” Nya said as she looked over Jay’s sketches for centerpieces. “How about we split it- you make half of these, and I make the other half?”

 

“That works for me,” Jay said, cracking his back.

 

“Hey, if your dad is gonna help, don't use any janky material, okay? I don't want these to fall apart or look weird because of different materials used,” Nya said, ribbing Jay a little. He chuckled and squeezed her hand.

 

“Don't worry, I'll tell my dad that. Ooh,  speaking of dads,” Jay exclaimed, “don't you think Cole is acting like me when I meant your parents?”

 

“Jay, we're talking about my parents. Anyone would be nervous around them,” Nya deadpanned.

 

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

 

“But no, I did think that. So now I'm just hoping they'll figure it out somehow,” Nya said while making two equal stacks out of the sketches and pushed on over to Jay.

 

“Doubt it. Honestly, it's weird to think that Kai is your brother. How do you put up with him all your life? Uh, no offense, sorry,” Jay added quickly.

 

“It's fine, I think the same all the time. So, remember when I told you how I find your humor endearing only because I got used to it?”

 

“Uh- I- yeah.”

 

“Yeah, well, I probably got used to his stupidity when I was young enough to not remember it. But even I have those moments of just pure amazement and horror that Kai and I are related.”

 

“Lemme guess, this is one of those moments?”

 

“Yep, and it's honestly starting to feel like a rom-com and I don't like it.” Jay laughed out loud. Nya probably wasn't wrong about that. “Okay, we're getting way off topic here. So, the sculptures. You good with these?”

 

“Let's see our progress a month from now. Is that enough time?” he asked.

 

“Yeah, that's plenty.”

* * *

“Cole, stay still,” Maya ordered again. Cole stiffened and straightened out his body, making Kai giggle. “I said ‘stay still’, not ‘become a statue’.”

 

“Sorry,” Cole apologized, trying to relax. It was weird being fitted for a suit. He thought he'd be here for hours, but Maya and Ray moved quick. They were already halfway done. He grinned at Kai. “So, do I look good?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“You always look good, but you look hella lot hotter right now,” Kai complimented.

 

“Oh, why thank you,” Cole said with as much posh in his tone as possible.

 

“You can compliment each other, but please don't move so much,” Maya said, a little distracted by her task. Ray finally finished the final touches of the jacket Cole was supposed to wear over his shirt.

 

“Almost?” he asked. Maya nodded silently. “So Cole, there will be a dance at the wedding, correct?”

 

“Yeah. I think it depends on the party and the people but I'm sure anyone can dance while the Jay and Nya dance as well,” he explained.

 

“Will you be dancing, Cole?” Maya asked, straightening out his shirt so there would be fewer wrinkles.

 

“I'd rather not,” Cole said with a nervous chuckle. He heard Kai groan and was confused.

 

“I thought you were! Are you gonna make me dance by myself, dude?” Kai complained. He crossed his arms and pouted. “I was hoping to dance with you, Cole.”

 

If it weren't for the fact that Maya currently had several needles close to his skin, Cole would have moved to hold Kai so he wouldn't be upset.

 

“Uh, I mean- Well, I'm not sure if I don't want to dance to most of the songs, but maybe I will. Not sure,” Cole stuttered out, his face burning like his arms did when he used the Earth Punch.

 

“Mm,” Ray made a sound in his throat. Maya signaled to him that she was done with the adjustments. “Put your arms through, Cole,” he ordered.

 

Cole tucked in the shirt before buttoning up the jacket. Maya spun her finger in the air, so Cole slowly turned around. He felt really embarrassed; it was like he was modeling and he does _not_ have the body for that sort of gig.

 

“You look so handsome, Cole,” Maya complimented. She clapped her hands. “Alright, nothing feels tight?” Cole shook his head. “Too loose? Does something just not feel right?” He shook his head again. Somehow, Ray and Maya got Cole fitted into his suit in probably half the time it would have taken in a normal store, but they might have done a better job than anyone else.

 

“Thank you so much,” Cole said over and over. He actually couldn't believe it. He had a suit that _fit_ him.

 

“Here's the tie that goes with it,” Ray said, holding out the silk article to Cole. “Kai, your mother and I have to see the elders right now about something. Can you make sure that whatever is still left out is put away?”

 

“Sure, Dad,” Kai said with a grunt as he jumped down from the counter he was sitting on. He hugged his parents and waved them goodbye. “Hey Cole, can you help me with the platform? It's heavier than it looks.” Cole nodded and stepped down from where he was standing. He helped Kai pick it up- geez, it _was_ heavy- and carry it to the back of the shop. “Thanks, dude.”

 

“No problem. Hey, you know what would be really useful right now?” Cole asked the brunet.

 

“What?”

 

“Actually knowing how to tie a tie. I don't know how to tie a tie, Kai,” Cole laughed at himself. “Do you know how to tie a tie, Kai? Oh my god, it rhymes.” Kai joined Cole’s laughter.

 

“Yep, it does. That's my name, don't wear it out. And yes,” Kai finally answered Cole’s question, “I do know how to tie a tie, Cole. Here, give it to me.” Cole handed him the tie and bent down, giving Kai a cheeky smile. “Oh, be quiet, Earthquake.”

 

“Ooh, _Earthquake_? I like that,” Cole said smugly. Then he snorted as a thought came to mind. “Dude, this is like that scene from _Up_.” Kai dropped his head onto Cole’s shoulder and just lost it.

 

“Dude, seriously?!” Kai struggled to say in between laughs. “And why that movie? I mean, I love it and all, but now it made me think of the sad music. There, I'm done.” Immediately, Cole grabbed Kai into a bear hug and lifted him off the ground, his legs kicking in the air. “Cole!”

 

“Aww, I'm sorry for making you sad, Kai! Does this make it better?” Cole asked jokingly, holding Kai tight and spun around. “Look, we're dancing right now! Isn't it fun?”

 

“Cole, I'm serious!” Kai whined, trying to wiggle out of Cole’s grip. The larger man let out a loud laugh (Kai felt his heart skip a couple of beats. He knew Cole had to let go soon.) before loosening his hold on Kai and put him down. Still, he didn't let go. Kai huffed but he wasn't really angry, even though he usually would be. “You think you deserve a hug from me?”

 

“Oh, hell yeah,” Cole cooed. “You're like a little baby, you're so small.” He patted the top of Kai’s head, ignoring the burning glare.

 

“Just remember I can set you on fire at any time,” Kai warned. He still smiled to himself before returning the hug.

 

Cole’s “Aww, yay” was soft but said enough to the brunet.

 

“Okay, but you should probably change out of the suit,” Kai advised.

 

“Right, right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all will meet Leah in "Everyone Loves" ^^


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spider-Verse is my BITCH
> 
> also, trigger warning for the middle part of this chapter, self-harm and talking about it

It was several weeks later when Jay and Nya were in the park, where they were having the ceremony. They watched as children played, throwing frisbees or playing tag.

 

“Hey, I know it's too soon- like _way_ too soon to think about it, but what do you think about having kids?” Jay asked, resting his head on Nya’s shoulder.

 

“Yep, way too soon,” Nya shot back with a chuckle. “But I get where you're going with it. Maybe one day, we can think about it. But right now, hell no.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Jay laughed. “Hey, if we do ever have kids, do you want Cole as a primary caretaker?”

 

“Cole? Maybe, although I'd like my brother to do that, too,” Nya said.

 

“Maybe both of them?”

 

“Yeah, that'd be good.” They stayed silent for a while before she spoke up again. “Would they be able to do it together if they're not even _together_?” Jay cackled.

 

“First of all, I love that even though this is our wedding, it's also a scheme to get these two idiots together,” he said. “Second of all, if Cole doesn't get his gay ass together, he won't be able to even _think_ about being with Kai.”

 

“Wait, question,” Nya spoke up. “Is Cole actually gay?”

 

“He didn't make a big deal about it, so I don't think he cares if you guys know,” Jay explained. “I was actually the first person he came out to. I was so honored and proud of him.”

 

“When did get come out then?”

 

“Uh, I think it was several months before the whole thing with the Time Twins.” Nya raised an eyebrow and straightened up, forcing Jay to sit up and down look back at her.

 

“So then, what about that whole… you know…”

 

“The love triangle?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I had asked Cole about the same thing. He said it was like a ‘Do I like her because I like her or do I like her because she's giving me attention?’ kind of thing,” Jay explained. Nya nodded in understanding.

 

“So he figured out that it was the second one, wasn't it? Now I feel kind of bad,” Nya said.

 

“Don't be. Cole’s happy and it worked out for him. Now he at least knows why he feels certain feelings for people… if he can actually realize he's _having_ those feelings!” Jay shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

 

“Okay, but Kai is exactly the same way! He's such a flirt until someone does the same to him. One time, this dude straight up asked Kai out on a date and he just responded with ‘Whoa, that was good! Who are you going to ask out?’”

 

Jay hissed. “Ooh.”

 

“I know, right?!”

 

“You know Cole calls Kai ‘baby’ now,” the Master of Lightning informed. Nya made a face.

 

“How can- How is that _not_ romantic?” Jay shrugged.

 

“I mean, Cole is the kind of person that would call someone ‘babe’ platonically. I should know, I can be like that, too.”

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“Apparently, when we were in the First Realm, I was so high off my acceptance of our peril that I had once called Kai ‘baby’.” Nya cackled and kept clapping her hands. “I couldn't help it! I was basically insane!”

 

“I know, but this is gold!”

 

“Whatever,” Jay groaned. “Anyway, did you choose your flowers yet? I need to know.” Nya chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. “ _Nya_ …”

 

“I haven't had time yet!”

 

“Oh my god!” Jay facepalmed repeatedly. “You know what? We'll look into it together. Then we can pick the ones you like best and hopefully match your dress.”

 

“Okay, explain it to me again. Why is it such a big deal for throwing a bouquet at the crowd?” Nya asked. Jay rubbed his chin.

 

“Uh, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be good luck, like ‘Hey, after this, you'll probably get married very soon!’ I dunno, it's a superstition that's pretty fun to do,” he did his best to explain.

 

“Sounds kind of stupid but I'll go with it.”

* * *

As the wedding got closer, the days were packed with planning and changes to the original thought. Jay and Nya have been working with their dads nonstop to make all their miniature sculptures for the centerpieces. It was eventually about a month before the actual ceremony when Nya was all dressed up, ready for a night out with Skylor and Pixal. It was their bachelorette party.

 

“Nya, please make sure you don't drink too much and come home safe,” her brother practically worried his pretty head off for her. She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes and promised to be careful. And to soothe Kai’s anxious mind, she took a small blade that she could hide in her belt. She wouldn't need it but just so Kai wouldn't panic all night. He deserved a peaceful night with his teddy bear.

 

She could not believe her brother calls Cole that and _not_ realize! Stupid.

 

They went to Skylor’s noodle shop first because why pass up free food?

 

“Can't believe in a month, you getting married,” Skylor said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Where'd the time go, huh?”

 

“I know. I can't believe it either,” Nya said, cradling her box of noodles close to her chest. “But I think it's crazier that there's been so much peace lately. Like, thank you, whatever greater force is at play right now!”

 

“The crime rate has been very low,” Pixal informed. “In fact, so low that most of the crimes that _do_ occur are easily handled by the police.”

 

“Okay, stop talking about how peaceful it is or we'll jinx it,” Skylor gently scolded, pointing her chopsticks at Pixal and Nya. The Master of Water chuckled and the nindroid only smiled. “Hey, you two need to spill the tea for me. What's going on with the guys lately? Did any of them do anything really stupid worth teasing them about it?” Pixal frowned.

 

“We only have water, not tea. And why would we spill anything?” she asked, completely confused. Nya patted her shoulder.

 

“It's just an expression, Pix,” she explained tersely. Even though the nindroid still had her eyebrows furrowed, Nya turned to face Skylor. “Okay, here's some tea. Kai, he calls Cole  _teddy bear._ And Cole- Ooh-hoo-hoo! He calls my brother _baby._ _BABY_ , Skylor! Can you believe it?”

 

“Oh, now I understand what ‘spilling the tea’ is,” Pixal interrupted. The two other women clapped quietly.

 

“Well, that's adorable. I'm glad to know that Kai’s happy,” Skylor responded.

 

“No, no, no. You don't get it, Sky,” Nya cut her off. “They call each other that… _platonically_.”

 

“Excuse me?!”

 

“I know, right? Literally everyone on the _Bounty_ knows they're in love with each other  _except_ themselves! Even Wu knows and he spends most of his time at the monastery,” Nya began to rant until Pixal patted her back.

 

“I suggest both of you lower your voices. There are still a few customers lingering,” the nindroid advised. Skylor and Nya shared a sheepish grin.

 

“Okay, but do they actually call each other that? They actually can't without realizing, right?” Skylor asked in a much lower voice.

 

“Oh, trust me, they can and they are. We have reached levels of stupid that should not be possible.”

 

“You'd think that with such a romantic like Kai and someone who cares so much for the emotions of other people like Cole, they'd be able to figure it out,” Pixal said without hesitation. Skylor and Nya banged on the table, trying to control their screams.

 

“Call ‘em _out_ , girl!” Skylor shouted. Pixal shrugged, a smug expression on her face.

 

“Don't worry, Jay and I have a plan that will hopefully work out,” Nya reassured.

 

“Hopefully?” Skylor raised an eyebrow.

 

“If it doesn't work, we'll either have two losers in love with each other or we'll just scream at them to start dating,” Nya said, finishing the rest of her noodles. “We eating anymore or are we going out?!”

 

“Let's go! Yo, Danny, close up for me!” Skylor called out before leaving her seat. Pixal quickly cleaned the table and let Nya out as well. “Let's go and not get too wasted. Pix, thanks again for being designated driver or whatever.”

 

“It's not like alcohol can do anything to me.”

 

“Exactly, and we all love that because you are always sane.” Pixal could only smile. Of course she was loved.

* * *

The next morning, Nya refused to leave her bed, mostly because she was exhausted to her bones and the headache she had. Jay brought her a glass of orange juice and painkillers and rubbed her back before closing the curtains and turning the lights off again.

 

Cole grunted as he tried to stretch his arms without bothering Kai. Lately, they had been sleeping together. The others would kind of give them weird looks but it didn't bother Cole. They were literally just sleeping and it was nice, too. At first, he worried Kai would make the entire bed too hot. Instead, Kai gave off enough heat that they didn't really need to share a blanket and they wouldn't be cold either. As a bonus, Cole could just simply doze off within a minute of holding Kai close to him. He tried not to, though; they would have late night conversations and he really looked forward to those. Usually, they were silly but there were serious moments.

 

Kai shifted, then nuzzled his face into the crook of Cole’s neck. His breathing had shifted; he was already awake.

 

“Hey, baby. Baby, wake up,” Cole gently nudged Kai repeatedly, only getting whines in return. “Kai, c’mon. I'm really hungry.”

 

“Mm, five more minutes,” Kai said, the sleepiness in his voice not taking away from the authority that was in it as well. Cole sighed and rubbed Kai’s back.

 

“Fine. Oh okay, you're gonna do that, that's cool. But I'm not carrying you,” Cole responded to Kai wrapping his legs around his waist. “I like that we were able to fix up this cabin. It's fun sharing a room, but a person gotta have some space, y’know?”

 

“Stop talking for just a couple minutes,” Kai whined. Cole rolled his eyes but still kissed his nose. He remained quiet for a while, enjoying watching the sun slowly peeking through the crack in between the curtains, bringing more light into the room. It had been more than five minutes by a long shot.

 

“Cole?” Kai whispered onto dark skin.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You do know how to dance, right? Like, slow dance or something close to that,” the hothead asked, looking up to meet the other's eyes. Cole smiled shyly.

 

“One of the few dances I can actually do with confidence,” he answered, rubbing circles into Kai’s thigh with his thumb. “Why? You scared I'll accidentally step on your toes during the reception?” Kai laughed through his nose.

 

“No, it's just that… Well, I don't actually know how to do those kinds of dances,” Kai admitted. Cole frowned and began to untangle himself from Kai’s legs. “Hey, what are you-?”

 

“Get up, I'll show you how to dance,” Cole said, removing some clothes and other objects that were left on the floor from the past few days. Kai slowly got up from the bed and joined Cole. “Holy fuck, you're so short.” Kai’s face reddened.

 

“Shut up and teach me how to dance,” he muttered. “Besides, it's not my fault you're like a mountain.”

 

“Yeah, it was actually my mom's fault. She was so tall, it was crazy!” Cole laughed. He was slowly learning to laugh more openly and it made Kai’s heart swell every single time. “Okay, I'm gonna put my right hand on your waist, so put your left hand on my shoulder.”

 

“Like this, right?”

 

“Yep. Now, give me your right hand. This is how we lead. Watch our feet for now. I'm going to step forward with my left foot, so step back with your right.” Kai followed Cole’s instructions slowly. “Okay, take a step to the side with your left foot like I'm doing with my right.”

 

Kai watched his feet intently, not willing to make a mistake. “Good. Now you take your right foot and step so your feet are together again,” Cole instructed. Slowly, Kai did just that. “And then you just repeat that while moving and slowly spinning. It's easy once you get the hang of it.”

 

“Can we keep going? I want to get this down right,” Kai insisted. Cole nodded.

 

“Try looking up. It'd be pretty weird to stare at your feet the entire time you're dancing,” Cole teased. Kai only pouted but focused his gaze so they had eye contact. Slowly, they began to dance again. “Okay, you're doing well. Try to move a lit- Ow!”

 

“Sorry!” Kai stepped back in response. He accidentally stepped on Cole’s foot. “Damn it, I'm really sorry.”

 

“Hey, it's okay, it just surprised me. You're learning. We have plenty of time to practice. Wanna keep going or do you wanna go eat now?” Cole asked him. Kai smiled and squeezed the larger hand.

 

“Definitely eat. I'm starving.”

* * *

After breakfast and making sure Nya finally got out of bed and ate, too, everyone simply lounged around the ship. Everyone needed a break from wedding planning, fittings for suits and dresses, or just life in general.

 

“You guys wanna watch a movie or something?” Lloyd offered, dropping his phone onto his stomach.

 

“Spider-Verse!” Jay screamed out. Kai kicked him in the back. “Ow!”

 

“I still got a headache, so I'm just gonna take a nap in my room. Don't scream too much,” Nya told the guys and got up from the couch. She planted a kiss on Jay’s head before leaving.

 

“Zane, can you put the movie in?” Lloyd asked even though he was the closest to the TV. The nindroid rolled his eyes but did so. Cole had his sketchbook in hand, but as the movie started, he still couldn't think of anything to draw. Granted, he hasn't drawn in his sketchbook for a long time.

 

“You're a sunflower,” he heard Kai softly sing along to Miles’ song. Suddenly, he got an idea. Shifting his body so his knees were close to his chest and could support his sketchbook, Cole began to sketch Kai.

 

He was darkening the lines of the brunet’s legs when he jumped at Jay’s screaming.

 

“We get it, he's dead, now SHUT UP!” Lloyd hissed, shoving Jay momentarily from the screen.

 

“But this part is so sad! Spider-Man, no!” Lloyd tried to kick the freckled man on the head. Normally, Zane would stop them from trying to rip each other apart but the nindroid just shook his head and focused his attention on the movie.

 

By the time Dr. Olivia Octavius revealed herself, Cole finished his drawing. Kai was curled up and leaning against the armrest. His eyelids were drooping like he was still sleepy. Cole lightly brushed his fingers along Kai’s lips. Somehow, he was also able to draw Kai’s hair; Cole hated drawing hair.

 

“Hey, whatcha drawing?” Lloyd asked in a whisper, trying to take a peek over Cole’s knees. Instantly, Cole slapped his sketchbook against his chest, hiding the drawing. “Aw, fine, I won't look.”

 

Cole stole a quick glance at Kai, only to see the hothead was watching him as well. Kai gave him a small smile and rubbed his foot against Cole’s. He snorted and turned to actually watch the movie.

* * *

It turned out that Kai was not only a good model when he was proceeding with his day naturally, but he was also even better when Cole asked him to model for him.

 

Soon, the sketchbook that had been sitting on his desk for over two years with only five pages at max covered in random doodles now had almost all of the pages filled with Kai. Whether it was in different lighting or positions, one thing remained consistent: Kai always looked happy and peaceful.

 

Of course, his sudden constant drawing caught the attention of a mischievous soul.

 

When Cole left to visit his dad for the day (Unsurprisingly, Kai tagged along.), Lloyd snuck into their shared bedroom and began to search for the sketchbook. His curiosity was getting the best of him.

 

But just when he had found it, he was caught.

 

“Lloyd, what are you doing? You're invading Kai and Cole’s privacy!” Zane called the blond out. Lloyd groaned and threw his head back, just so he could have that dramatic flair.

 

“C’mon, it can't be that bad to look through some drawings,” Lloyd tried to argue. Zane raised an eyebrow. “Can I get away with it if I say it was the Oni in me?”

 

“ _No,_ you won't get away with it. Now put the sketchbook down. Lloyd, don't open it!” Zane screamed and rushed at the smaller man, who quickly scampered out of the nindroid’s reach. Lloyd jumped on the bed and flipped through the pages.

 

“Damn, Cole is  _so_ cheesy,” Lloyd said with a roll of his eyes after looking through the first several pages. He leapt off the bed to avoid Zane from grabbing his ankle. He ran out of the room and headed for the deck. “How much time does Cole have to draw so much of Kai?!”

 

“Lloyd, stop it!” Zane shouted before finally deciding to freeze the blond’s feet to the floor. Lloyd lurched forward, the sketchbook falling from his grasp. The nindroid reached down and closed the sketchbook, not even sparing a glance at the dozens of drawings of the fire wielder. He already knew. “You can get out once the ice melts entirely.”

 

“What?!” Lloyd sputtered. “I was curious!”

 

“And that is still not an excuse to go through someone's work, especially art, unless they give you permission,” Zane scolded. “And before you even say it, yes, it's so obvious that they love each other. We must give them time to figure it out themselves.”

 

“They'll never do it,” Lloyd pouted. “And I'm not wearing socks. How dare you?”

 

“You've felt worse with your feet; ice is nothing to you,” Zane waved off with his hand and left to return the sketchbook to its rightful place.

 

Lloyd had to wait until dinner was almost over before he could finally move out of the puddle. Kai didn't even help him, Zane had told him it was a punishment! Rude.

 

But he now had dirt on Cole in case he wanted anything from him and he still didn't confess yet.

 

Oh grandpa, that was a pun.

* * *

About two and a half weeks were left before the wedding day. The guys had planned an impromptu bachelor party just to ease Jay’s nerves and anxiety. But it was the hours before the small event that brought more tension than what was to come.

 

Nya glared at her brother, but not out of anger. It was of concern and worry. The guys were going to a bar and would have their own private booth. The thing was, they were going to a _bar._

 

No one ever forgets how Kai can get when he's around alcohol.

 

“Nya, I promise I'm not gonna go overboard,” Kai insisted, leaning on the dining table with his hands supporting his weight. “Can you trust me, please?”

 

“I want to believe you, but you always end up breaking it somehow. I just… You're my brother, and I love you. I just don't want to lose you in any way,” Nya admitted, dropping her gaze. It wasn't exactly a double standard; Nya was such a lightweight and had too strong of a drink at her bachelorette party. Kai, on the other hand, could down several shots without a break and still feel somewhat okay. But that was when he got started. Ever since Zane had sacrificed himself, her brother had become somewhat of an alcoholic. She didn't know what to do most of the time except reminding her brother to keep his promise of not overdoing it.

 

He never kept the promise and it killed them both.

 

“Nya, I'm  _trying_. You know I am. Just tonight, okay? I won't get wasted,” Kai tried to compromise. Nya tapped her foot against the floor, her lips curling.

 

“Drink a lot of water and get ice in your drinks so it gets watered down,” she finally said. Even though he visibly grimaced, Kai nodded and tried to keep his fingers from digging into the wood of the table. “Stay safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do.”

 

“It's not my fault I actually have fun,” Kai teased, sticking out his tongue and enjoying the new lightheartedness of the atmosphere between them. Nya stuck her middle finger out at him.

 

“I'm going to organize all of the sculptures that Jay and I made. I think y’all will really like it,” Nya said with a grin. As her brother walked away, he lightly kicked him in the leg. “Hey. Promise?” Kai smiled, sad but genuine.

 

“I'll try.”

* * *

The bass of the music thumped, making their bones vibrate as the sound traveled throughout their body. Kai was somewhere out in the crowd, already lost in the atmosphere. Cole clutched at his beer. It tasted like piss but he cared more for Kai. He hoped the hothead wouldn't get himself in trouble. Still, he tried to search for Kai over the heads of the crowd.

 

“You're cheating!” Jay shouted at Lloyd. They were in the middle of playing beer pong and neither of them wanted to drink any of it.

 

“How can I be cheating? You're watching every move I make, fool!” Lloyd shouted back. Zane stood up abruptly, cradling his glass of water close to him.

 

“If you two keep yelling, I will make sure you don't talk for the rest of the night,” Zane threatened in the sweetest voice he could. The two smaller men shuddered but resumed their game in silence.

 

“Hey, Zane?” Cole grabbed the attention of the nindroid. He was really worried now. “I'm gonna go look for Kai. Make sure those two don't lose it again.”

 

“Don't worry. They won't. Be quick,” Zane said. The Master of Earth nodded and left.

 

Cole apologized each time he accidentally bumped into someone, so it was every moment as he tried to navigate his way through the crowd. He was checking for other entrances when he heard shouting and punches being thrown behind him.

 

Kai had grabbed a guy by the collar of his shirt and shook him like a rag doll. The stranger already had a bloody nose and was trying to kick at Kai. Although the crowd’s attention was now on the two of them, Cole noticed one young woman close to them who looked shocked. Before anyone else could get hurt, Cole grabbed the two men by the back of their shirts and pulled them apart like they were Velcro.

 

“You fuckface!” Kai spat, trying to get one last hit at the man. The man wiped at his nose and growled.

 

“Let go of me, shithead,” he ordered at Cole. The strong man glanced over at the young woman. He gestured at the man.

 

“What he do?” he asked. She gulped thickly.

 

“Kept touchin’ me, even when I said no. Your friend got ‘im before he could do anything else,” she explained out. Cole glared at the man. He held onto him while setting Kai down. He almost fell on his butt, he was so unsteady.

 

“Do yourself and all of us a favor and get out of here,” Cole said in a rumbling whisper so only the man could hear. Although he was struggling against the larger man’s hold, it was clear he was listening. “And don't touch anyone ever again, especially with your grimy hands.” Cole didn't even let the man fall gracefully, he just dropped him like a sack of potatoes. He offered a thumbs-up to the woman, who returned one back. She was immediately surrounded by other women her age who were most likely her friends. The man scrambled off the floor and headed for an emergency exit. The crowd dissipated rather quickly. Cole sighed and rubbed his neck. This is why he hated going to these kinds of places. Too much messiness to deal with. “C’mon Kai, let's get back to our table.”

 

The brunet rubbed his stomach and tried to cover up a burp. “Y-Yeah, sure. Le’s go.” Kai didn't realize he was tipping over until Cole caught him.

 

“Hey, you good? What is it?” he asked, worry flowing through him again. “Bathroom?” Unable to speak, Kai simply nodded. Cole looped one of the brunet’s arms around his shoulders and carried him close to his hip. This time, he didn't apologize when he bumped into people.

 

The moment Cole pushed opened the bathroom door, Kai pushed away from him and ran to the closest open stall. Just in time, too.

 

Cole cringed at the sound of Kai retching, as well as the gross muck of the bathroom. “Y’know, they should really clean the bathrooms more often, huh?” Kai didn't respond back, just coughed. Cole slowly approached him and knelt down, momentarily ignoring the dirty floor. He rubbed Kai’s back and did his best to push his hair out of the way. “How much?”

 

Kai groaned.

 

“What was it? Tequila?”

 

“Straight vodka,” Kai’s voice echoed in the toilet bowl before finally pushing himself up. There was a loud  _thump_ when his head hit the stall.

 

Then another  _thump_. And another. They grew louder until Cole realized what Kai was doing. He grabbed Kai by the shoulders and pulled him close.

 

“Why are you doing that?!” It was silent and Kai could only hide his face in Cole’s chest.

 

Then his shoulders began to shake. Muffled cries filled the bathroom.

 

“Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell,” Cole whispered, hoping he could soothe Kai in whatever way he can.

 

“No, it's not!” Kai cried into Cole’s shirt. He tried to push away but Cole tightened his hold. “I fucked up again.”

 

“No you didn't,” Cole reassured even though he didn't understand what Kai meant.

 

“You're wrong!” Kai suddenly screamed. “I broke my fucki’g promise again! Why- can't- I- _FUCK IT!_ ” He huffed out before shakily rested his head against Cole’s body. “Wanna go home.”

 

“Uh, okay. I'll go tell the others so-”

 

“No, _now_. I don’ wanna stay anymore. Please, jus’ take me home,” Kai begged softly, a sudden contrast to his screaming just moments ago.

 

“Uh, okay. Lemme text the others. Do you want me to carry you?” Cole asked as he pulled out his phone and sent a short message. Kai nodded, running his fingers through his hair and tugged sharply. “Hey, don't do that. C’mon, we're leaving.” He remained kneeling and waited for Kai to get on his back. He stood up after getting a tight grip on Kai’s legs.

* * *

Zane’s phone buzzed and he quickly pulled it out.

 

_Leaving with Kai. See you guys back home_

 

“Cole and Kai left,” the nindroid informed the other two. Lloyd chucked his final ping-pong ball at Jay and crossed his arms.

 

“Honestly, I'm bored. Can we go play video games?” the blond asked Jay. He simply nodded.

 

“So I'm gonna assume one or both of them were in the center of whatever happened over there,” Jay chuckled before grabbing a cup and took a small sip. He recoiled. “Who can drink this stuff?!”

 

Rolling his eyes, Zane took the cup from Jay’s hands and downed it all. “I can. Now let's go see if we can find an arcade that also serves food.”

 

“Don't worry, I know of a place,” Lloyd said and began to lead. Jay crossed his arms and grumbled.

 

“You can only drink it ‘cause you're a nindroid,” the freckled man mumbled under his breath. “And Lloyd, that sounds sketchy as hell!”

 

“Do you remember who I am? Of course it would sound sketchy!” the blond shouted back.

* * *

“He good?” Nya whispered, already pouring out two glasses of orange juice and handed one to Cole for her brother.

 

“Yeah, just exhausted,” Cole answered, taking the glass for Kai. The aforementioned man peeked over one broad shoulder, his foggy eyes meeting his sister's.

 

“‘M sorry, Nya. I broke my promise,” Kai apologized. Nya only smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand.

 

“I don't care about that right now. Just drink this and go to bed. Take care of him,” she ordered Cole. He nodded and waved goodnight to the woman.

 

Not wanting to turn on the lights in case it bothered Kai, Cole had to make do with walking around their dark room. He patted Kai’s ankles to tell him he can let go now. The hothead groaned but let go and crawled into the bed. He curled into himself as if he was too exhausted to even be open to Cole or the rest of the world.

 

“You just gonna sleep in those clothes?” Cole tried to joke, but Kai didn't say a word. “Uh. Okay, um, I'm gonna change and take a quick shower.” The larger man sorted through his dresser for new clothes that were comfortable enough to sleep in before heading for the bathroom.

 

As the water began to warm up and Cole scrubbed at his skin, he heard the door creak slightly. A moment later, Kai joined him in the stream, still quiet. His spikes flattened quickly as he stood. Cole smiled.

 

“Want me to wash your hair?” A silent nod. Hoping Kai wouldn't mind, Cole lathered his brown hair with his shampoo. It was the same brand, but they had different preferences when it came to the scent or, as Cole likes to call it, the “flavor.”

 

They remained silent for the rest of their shower, so it gave Cole some time to take a better look at Kai. It had been obvious from the very beginning that Kai was the most scarred up; his body bore every single piece of evidence from their past battles among the scars from earlier in life that Kai hated to talk about. Jay had once asked of a scar that ran almost the entirety of Kai’s right arm. Let's just say Kai couldn't stomach anything else that day.

 

But it made Cole wonder about the scars that none of them could see, the ones Kai dealt with every moment of every single day.

 

It was like Kai completely shut down or hid inside himself because he made no attempt to dry himself off. Cole took care of that, making sure that he didn't dry so hard on Kai’s head; he was still concerned about the headbanging.

 

“Does your head hurt any?” Cole asked quietly once they left the bathroom. Kai only shrugged and rubbed at his eyes. He didn't want to cry again, not in front of Cole. He's not supposed to cry, at least not like this. “Let's go to bed then. But I want to talk.”

 

Kai gulped down half the glass of orange juice before crawling into bed. Cole lifted the covers and tucked himself in, turning onto his side to face Kai.

 

“So? Can we talk?”

 

“What do you even want to talk about?” Kai finally spoke, his eyes not even meeting Cole’s.

 

“Well, first of all, you sobering up?” the Master of Earth asked softly, pushing brown bangs away from Kai’s face. Kai shrugged.

 

“I'm gettin’ there. I get emotional before feeling numb, whether it's drinking more or sobering up, just straight downhill,” he said blatantly. Cole frowned.

 

“How can you know that so well?”

 

“Guess I drink too much.”

 

“Kai, don't say that like it's no big deal. Please.”

 

“Sorry,” Kai whispered.

 

“No, don't apologize. But can you also tell me what that was about, hitting your head against the stalls?” Cole asked. “You really scared me and don't say sorry for that. Just give me an explanation.”

 

He waited for a few minutes before Kai finally answered him.

 

“I guess… I have a lot of issues, dude.” Cole waited patiently; Kai needed to get it all out. “If you haven't already figured it out, I hurt myself. On purpose… a lot. And I hate it.”

 

“Why do it then?” Cole asked, genuinely curious and worried.

 

“Well, when you find out that your parents have disappeared and no one has any knowledge of where they could have gone and you're also the oldest of the two kids they left behind, you tend to figure out ways of how it could all be your fault,” Kai explained with a slight slur. “I guess I'll be honest now. Nya’s always suspected it but I once stole beer and wine from our elders and drank it. I felt so guilty right after, that was probably the reason I threw up. Also, I was twelve… ten? I dunno, it's hazy. But I guess being a blacksmith had its perks. No one questioned the scars and cuts and burns on your skin, which may have been the opposite of what I needed.”

 

“So… the promise you were so upset about?”

 

“Nya tries to remind me to either get clean or at least drink less. I always break those promises and it makes me feel even worse.” Kai clutched at his chest before pulling away so his nails wouldn't dig into his flesh. “Nine months. And I fucked up.”

 

“Well,” Cole started slowly, “maybe don't keep promises that you can't keep. Just do it in your own time so you _can_ keep the promises next time.” His heart swelled slightly when he saw Kai’s smile.

 

“I guess.”

 

“So, nine months of what?”

 

“Nine months of being clean, with alcohol and self-harm. I'm sorry, I broke both.”

 

“What did I say about apologizing?” Cole stopped Kai from going on any further. “I may not fully understand it but I do understand that's it's difficult. And hard. But I'm here to help you. I can promise you that.” Cole reached for Kai’s hands and squeezed tightly. It was that moment that Kai finally met his eyes and…

 

A wave of emotions crashed onto both of them. It took them by surprise and yet they had both seen what it was months, even years before it had ever reached them. They just didn't know what it was at the time. But now they did.

 

Cole muttered “Oh my god” as softly as he could underneath his breath, his hand moving to cup Kai’s cheek, rubbing his thumb along his cheekbone. Kai pressed his face against the rough palm and sighed, feeling sober and yet higher than anyone could ever be. The hothead shifted his body so he could be closer to Cole, resting one leg on his hip and grinned.

 

“I… I-I think I love you,” Cole whispered, remembering his conversation with Jay several months ago. Huh, who would have thought that the Master of Mouth was actually right?

 

“I guess that's what I've been feeling, too. Just didn't know how to figure out what it actually was,” Kai said with a soft snort.

 

It was slow at first. Neither of them wanted to rush, which was very surprising from someone like Kai. But they took their time.

 

And the moment their lips touched, their hearts burst and their bodies became more alive and Kai was so happy that he was sobering up because  _oh my god this the_ ** _greatest_  ** _thing ever._

 

Their lips moved slowly, trying to figure out what felt right, what was just too awkward before the kiss was broken by two giddy laughs and smiles.

 

“I liked that,” Kai giggled. Cole couldn't help but smile even wider. He had to stop and think: just when exactly did he fall in love with Kai? It didn't feel like what the books and movies told him. It wasn't sudden, it didn't consume his mind, he wasn't anything like that. It just felt so… so  _natural_ that it feels as much a part of him as he would say about his soul.

 

He liked this, too.

 

“Again?” Cole asked simply, his hazel eyes flickering with delight as he watched Kai smile and lean in. They met halfway and still took it slow, trying to figure each other out. They had time to fall for each other; they had more than enough time to be with each other.

* * *

They were both woken up by Lloyd’s loud _“I WILL SHIT ON YOUR GRAVE!”_

 

They had interesting friends.

 

“Good morning,” Cole mumbled and grunted when he realized that Kai had used his arm as a pillow, so now it was all pins and needles when the brunet shifted.

 

“G’morning,” Kai repeated, his brain sober but his emotions intoxicated with the fact that he  _loved_ someone and the same someone  _loved_ him back. The minor headache meant nothing to him. “Do we have to get up? I like cuddling.”

 

“Already had that figured out,” Cole teased. “I guess for a while longer. I don't wanna get up either.”

 

“What time do you think the others got home?” Kai asked, resting his head against Cole’s chest.

 

“Late” was Cole’s only response. He wrapped both of his arms around Kai’s waist, pulling him so he rested his entire body on top of his. “Damn, either you're small or I'm huge.”

 

“Both, probably. The most intense size difference ever. People will lose their minds,” Kai said simply. They both grinned, knowing exactly how the citizens would react. Especially the die-hard fans.

 

Cole lightly scratched Kai’s back, his blunt nails leaving nothing behind other than a tingly feeling. He felt a scar that had risen because it was just so deep. He remembered this one. It was back when they had fought the nindroids under the control of the Overlord and one of them managed to tag Kai really badly.

 

Suddenly, he got an idea.

 

“Hey, Kai?”

 

“Mmf,” the hothead grunted.

 

“Ever hear about the Butterfly Project?” Cole asked. Kai lifted his head and raised an eyebrow.

 

“No, what is it?” Cole gently pushed Kai off him and got up from the bed in search for a marker. Kai crossed his legs.

 

“Okay, so you basically draw a butterfly somewhere on your body where it can't be easily washed away. There it is,” Cole said, finding a Sharpie. He spun his finger around, signaling for Kai to turn around. “You name the butterfly after someone special and, for as long as the butterfly is on your skin, you are not allowed to hurt yourself. I heard about it when I was younger and a lot of people said that's it's helped them.”

 

“And you're telling me this because…?” Kai started, looking over his shoulder to watch Cole.

 

“Well, it'd be a good start. You can also draw in your skin. You'd make pretty art and you would not be hurting yourself in the process so it's a win-win. Wanna try it?” Kai nodded, smiling. Cole rolled up the back of Kai’s shirt and drew a simple butterfly.

 

Then he added details, big and small because this was Kai, a man that lives with a flair special to him.

 

“Done.”

 

“Can I see?!” Kai immediately asked, pulling off his shirt entirely. He tried to reach around his body, his fingers barely touching the ink. Cole grabbed Kai’s hand mirror and handed it over to the brunet. Kai got out of bed and scrambled over to the full body mirror. The gasp that left his lips was barely louder than a sigh. “Oh my god.”

 

“Does it look okay?” Cole asked, a sudden feeling of anxiety washing over him. And he drew it in Sharpie too. It would take weeks before it would come off entirely.

 

Kai covered his mouth and nodded. “Y-Yeah. I do.” Cole approached the smaller man and held him close. Could he call Kai his boyfriend now? He felt Kai’s shoulders shake. “I'm sorry, I just…”

 

“Sh, it's okay. I get it,” Cole soothed and planted a kiss on the top of Kai’s head. He let the tiny hothead cry happy tears quietly while showering him with small kisses and rubbing circles with his thumbs into Kai’s hips.

 

Eventually, the brunet calmed down, taking a couple of shaky breaths and wiped away the damp trails from his cheeks.

 

“Oh my god, you've got to be kidding me, bro!” Cole exclaimed. “You're a pretty crier? Just when I thought you couldn't be more beautiful!”

 

“A what?” Kai chuckled, leaning his body against Cole’s. He liked being held.

 

“You don't even look like you've been crying, and you just look pretty. Me? Snot everywhere.” Kai cackled and pretended to shove Cole away from him.

 

“That's so gross, man!”

 

“Aaaayyy,” Cole responded as Kai pushed his face away as he laughed. “I guess even when you're sad, your face wants to look good at all times.”

 

“Then I guess your face just wants to take a break from always being so stunning,” Kai said in a teasing tone, although he did mean it. It would make sense that the Master of Earth would look like he was chiseled from stone by the gods, right?

 

Cole tried to stifle a snort. “Give your face a break. KitKat.”

 

The two men ended up losing it and laughed at the stupid joke.

 

“Okay, but KitKats are so satisfying to break,” Kai finally spoke through gasps for air. Cole nodded enthusiastically. “Y’know, I still have to name my butterfly.”

 

“Mm.”

 

“Wanna share a name with a butterfly, Cole?” The noiret chuckled through his nose.

 

“Am I that special?” he asked in an almost baby voice. Kai patted the top of his head.

 

“Always. But can you draw me another butterfly, on paper though? And make it pretty,” Kai asked. Cole raised a bushy eyebrow but complied. He redrew the butterfly that was on Kai’s back on a scrap piece of paper. He smiled, bubbling inside his chest as he listened to Kai’s soft compliments.

 

“What are you gonna do with this one?” Cole asked, handing the finished butterfly to Kai, who smiled and carefully folded it up in a small enough square to be pocketed.

 

“Dunno. We'll see,” Kai said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The hothead launched himself onto the bed. “Can we still cuddle here? The bed is comfy. _Please_.”

 

It was the emphasis on “Please” that won Cole over. He pulled Kai against him, wanting to just be as close to him as humanly possible. The hothead wrapped his arms around Cole’s neck and breathed in.

 

Cole was calming. And Kai was warm.

* * *

Unfortunately for everyone on board, Lloyd was irritated.

 

“Fine. When they come out, you ask Kai that!” Jay shouted and would have gone on had Nya not whistled at him. He chuckled sheepishly. “Ha, yeah yeah. Whatever. Well, I'm gonna go spar with Nya. Wish me luck.”

 

“You'll need more than luck, Jay,” Zane interjected. “You need a miracle.” Lloyd cackled.

 

“Shut up, you're like twelve,” Jay called out before sprinting out of the room. Lloyd stomped his foot, much like, to the blond’s chagrin, a twelve-year-old.

 

“I am  _not_ twelve! Hey, Kai,” Lloyd tried to get the fire elemental’s attention. He and Cole had just come out of their room, their growling stomachs being enough to force them to end their cuddling. “This is important. Do I have a baby face?”

 

Kai hissed between his teeth and tried to move to hide behind Cole as subtly as he could. “Is this a yes or no question, and which is the correct answer?” Lloyd threw his hands up in the air.

 

“Are you kidding me?! I don't have a baby face, right?! Cole, Zane?” The nindroid covered his mouth, smothering his laughter. Cole shrugged but a smile was growing on his face.

 

“I mean, the security guard tried to stop you from entering the bar last night,” Cole reminded them all. Lloyd groaned.

 

“Well, can you guys at least stop calling me twelve? I'm literally the same age as you!” Zane reached out and patted Lloyd’s hair.

 

“Sure, as long as you don't throw tantrums like you're twelve,” the nindroid teased. Lloyd huffed, his arms crossed over his chest.

 

They all heard a loud cackle echo through the vents.

 

“Fuck you, Jay!” Lloyd screamed through the kitchen vent, the other three with him trying to hold back their laughter. The blond rolled his eyes. “Whatever, I'm eating waffles.” Zane suddenly switched over to his more serious side.

 

“No, you're not. Eat the oatmeal I made, Lloyd,” Zane ordered, grabbing the Green Ninja’s arm.

 

“Oatmeal tastes like  _ass_!” the blond screamed.

 

“Not how I made it,” Zane shot back without hesitation. Cole snorted and bent down to whisper in Kai’s ear.

 

“Lloyd clearly has no idea what ass tastes like,” he barely said through strained chuckles. Kai snorted and almost choked on his spit. He punched Cole lightly on the arm.

 

“That was so bad!” the hothead choked out but was laughing anyway.

 

“Lloyd, eat the fucking oatmeal!” Zane shouted, uttering a rare curse.

* * *

It was a few days ago when Kai left for most of the afternoon. Not even Cole knew where he went.

 

(When Kai did come back, Cole carried him to their bedroom and smothered him with kisses. It was their thing now, giving each other affection whenever they were awake.)

 

But it was after the hothead had taken a shower that Cole found out why Kai had been gone that afternoon.

 

“Is… Is that the butterfly you made me draw?” the earth elemental asked in awe. Kai smiled and shrugged.

 

On his left pectoral, over where his heart was, was a tattoo of the butterfly Cole had drawn on a scrap of paper that Kai had asked for almost two weeks ago. The only difference was that the wings of the butterfly had an orange gradient to it and had rainbow swirls surrounding it.

 

“Orange _is_ your favorite color, right?” Kai asked, just to be sure. Cole nodded, his mouth widening with a grin. “Knew it.”

 

“Why’d you get it as a tattoo? And dry your fucking hair properly,” Cole scolded. He yanked the towel around Kai’s neck and dried the idiot’s hair himself. Said idiot only laughed.

 

“Well, the one you drew is starting to fade and I… I don't want to risk going back. So I thought if I had a tattoo of a butterfly, then all I would have to do is see it and remember why I have it. Also, I've always wanted a tattoo,” Kai added lightly. Cole clicked his tongue and couldn't help as his grin got even wider.

 

“So that's why you wanted me to draw you a butterfly.”

 

“Actually, I just wanted to have something of yours that you drew. The idea had only come to me the morning I got it,” Kai corrected him. “Okay, stop it! You're gonna ruin my hair!”

 

“Then dry your hair properly, stupid!” Cole teased. “Besides, you look like an angry cat with your hair all fluffed up.”

 

“How about a lion because I could so kill you right now,” Kai play-growled.

 

“Doubt it,” Cole snorted. “Okay, _now_ I'm done.” He laughed as Kai stuck out his tongue. “So, about the wedding…”

 

“Yeah?” Kai tugged his hair back into a ponytail. Or at least, as much of his hair as he could.

 

“Wanna practice dancing again?” Cole asked, picking at his thumb. Kai nodded and walked over.

 

“Don't pick, it'll sting,” the hothead said before grabbing Cole’s left hand.

 

“Hold on, wait.” Cole pulled out his phone and searched for a slow song that he had been listening to while drawing (Kai). He pressed “Play” and set his phone down on the nightstand. “Okay, ready.”

 

Kai grinned and let Cole lead. He had gotten better and didn't watch his feet anymore. The two of them swayed and turned in circles, their eyes never leaving each other.

 

Even as the song drew to a close, they still danced to the music of the city's noise below the ship coming through the open window.

 

Kai rested his head against Cole’s chest, listening to the steady heartbeat.

 

This  _is my favorite song_ , Kai thought.

 

A series of loud knocks interrupted the two men. “You two naked in there?”

 

“Fuck off, Lloyd, no!” Cole shouted back. The Green Ninja only laughed flatly.

 

“Whatever, still not coming in. Nya just wanted to know what kind of cake you want,” Lloyd said. “And yes, she's calling you out, Cole.” The Master of Earth grumbled while Kai tried his best to stifle his giggle.

 

“Ice cream cake,” the larger man simply answered. Kai gasped.

 

“Please share with me, ice cream cake is the best!” he whispered. Cole nodded silently and gave Kai an Eskimo kiss. Kai giggled again.

 

“That's fucking lit. Okay, I'm gone. I'm not getting in trouble with Zane again,” Lloyd called out. The other two snorted and continued with their gentle swaying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love these dumb idiots
> 
> also, keep in mind i spent almost a month solely this and still need to write for my other wips haaaaaaaaaaaaa


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a dog because YES
> 
> imagine how you want the fellas to look, but I actually drew Nya's wedding dress and you can find it on my Instagram page.
> 
> btw, follow me on Twitter and Instagram, I think I'm funny and decent at art :3

Everyone had woken up early for the wedding day. The girls and Kai had met up at Skylor’s home. Nya was the only one not dressed up for the occasion.

 

“Girl, why can't you show us? We wanna see!” Skylor said. Nya rolled her eyes.

 

“I want it to be a surprise for everyone, including you two,” the younger girl explained. “But I think everyone will like it. I love it.”

 

“Is that why Kai is with us, guarding the dress?” Pixal pointed out. Nya chuckled and nodded.

 

“I hear my name. Hi,” Kai called out from the dining room/kitchen.

 

“Yeah, exactly. But thanks. I can't say how happy I am to have you two standing with me,” Nya thanked. Pixal smiled and hugged Nya briefly. Skylor rubbed her shoulders and did the same as the nindroid. “Hey, Sky?”

 

“Yeah?” the woman responded. Nya swatted her hands away.

 

“Don't worry, Skylor. You look fucking fantastic,” Nya complimented. The Master of Amber snorted but still smiled.

 

“Thanks. I just can't help but feel weird about my shoulders.”

 

“Your shoulders are perfect, just like everything else about you. Now stop worrying. Everyone loves you for who you are,” Nya said with authority in her tone. “Okay, I need the two of you to head to the park. Kai’s gonna help me in my dress. I love you both.” She hugged her maids of honor tightly.

 

Before the maids of honor left, Skylor turned to point at Nya. “I'm only saying this because it's your day: you better look better than me today.” Nya brought a hand to her heart.

 

“I'm honored. Of course I will, thank you. Now shoo, I'm gonna change! I'll lock the door, too.” The women laughed and finally left. “Alright Kai, it's time!”

 

Her brother cheered and ran up to her. He removed the dress carefully from its bag.

 

“Okay, hair down and turn around,” Kai ordered. He helped Nya into her dress and brushed her hair. While it did reach her shoulders, half of Nya’s hair was still cut the way it was when she kept it short. “Want it up or nah?”

 

“Nope, leave it down,” Nya said. “Oh god, this is actually happening. Thanks for helping me. My hands are shaking so much I don't think I would be able to do anything.”

 

Kai smiled and handed Nya her sash. “Agreed. I just… I'm so happy for you.” He brought Nya’s hair over her shoulders even though he knew it would fall behind her again. He delicately put the bejeweled headband on top of Nya’s head; the bangs get to show off. “It's so weird, it almost feels like it was only a few days ago that you were laughing and clapping while I waited for my spouse.”

 

Nya giggled, touching one of the jewels. “I barely remember that. I also remember you throwing a tantrum when Mrs. Grumbmiller tried to take the kimonos out of your room.”

 

“She deserved that bite on the hand,” her brother grumbled. “Whatever. Need me to do your makeup?”

 

“Oh, please,” Nya said. She closed her eyes as Kai applied the slightest bit of eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara. Before he could add lipstick, Nya opened her eyes again. “Hey, Kai?”

 

“Yeah?” He paused in what he was doing, waiting for Nya to continue.

 

“Are you… happy?” she asked. Kai laughed through his nose, looking at her like she was a fool.

 

“Didn't I just say I was happy for you?”

 

“No, I mean happy with your life, not mine. Are you happy?” she repeated. Kai had put so much into this day for it to be perfect, Nya wasn't sure if he was happy, much less okay. And she always felt sure when it came to her brother, so not knowing made her anxious.

 

But her heart was calmed when a smile spread across his face.

 

“Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? Oh yeah, I got a tattoo.” Nya gasped and slapped his arm. “Ow, sorry! I guess I forgot to tell you guys.”

 

“When did you get it and where?” she asked, crossing her arms. Kai rolled his eyes but still took off his suit jacket and unbuttoned the shirt underneath. He just got it all tucked in, he was not going through that again.

 

Nya gasped and clapped. Kai slightly bowed, his smile much more cheeky. “Got it a few days ago.”

 

“It's so pretty,” Nya complimented.

 

“Thanks. Cole actually drew it on paper and I ended up wanting it on my skin. It hurt but definitely worth it. I'm so getting another tattoo soon.”

 

“Don't go crazy, stupid. Now keep doing my face up!” she yelled out but her mind returned to what Kai had said. So Cole had drawn the butterfly? And Kai had it on his body now, in permanent ink no less?

 

God, they were hopeless.

* * *

Cole stared at his screen, contemplating whether or not he should text Kai. He wanted to tell him that he loved him or even a simple "good luck", but Cole was stumped. Maybe Kai was busy and wouldn't even see the message if Cole sent it anyway.

 

_I see you're on. What is it?_

 

Cole jumped and almost dropped his phone at the sudden message. Apparently, Kai had more guts; maybe he developed that after years of handling three different social media platforms. The internet is a stressful place.

 

**_Ha, you caught me. I don't know what to say._ **

 

_Just talk. Nya and I are just waiting for a ride_

 

**_Well, I love you baby. I wanted to say that first._ **

 

_^^ I love you too bear_

_Oh yeah, Nya liked my tattoo_

 

**_Nice! Second, good luck today._ **

 

_I should say the same to you ;)_

 

**_> :O How dare!_ **

**_Whatever, does my hair look okay?_ **

 

Cole sent a picture of himself, as much of his dreads pulled back into a ponytail. Then he was spammed with a bunch of hearts.

 

_Excuse me, I thought I was the hot one! You look amazing, really ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡_

 

**_Aww <3_ **

**_Can I see you too?_ **

 

As if he had sensed the question beforehand, Kai already sent a picture a moment after Cole sent his text. At first he rolled his eye, but he couldn't help but smile at Kai’s stupid smile and the peace sign in the corner. Cole could even see some of his boyfriend’s freckles.

 

 _Boyfriend_ , Cole repeated in his head. He could finally say that.

 

_Dude, where are you guys anyway? It looks fancy :3_

 

**_Remember when Jay told us he was adopted and Cliff Gordon is his bio dad?_ **

 

_:O_

 

It was surprisingly calm in the mansion Jay had inherited from his late father. Before Cole had departed from the others to go to the second floor, Lloyd had been trying to take a nap, Zane was making minor adjustments to his suit (quickly, because it was a hologram), and Jay was muttering his vows underneath his breath in front of the mirror. No chaos today.

 

**_It's pretty nice. Too bad there's not much to do except wait :/_ **

 

_Okay uuhhhh_

_Do you think the others would let us get a dog?_

 

**_To keep on the Bounty? Definitely not._ **

 

_Then let's go apartment seeking again!!_

 

**_NO_ **

**_NOT THAT NIGHTMARE AGAIN_ **

 

Cole could just imagine Kai trying not to laugh in front of his sister. Looking for an apartment is scary and stressful.

 

_Hey, we're gonna be at the park in about an hour. Little bit of traffic on the way, driver says_

 

**_Be careful, babe. <3_ **

 

_Nya will make sure of that because I am not to be trusted_

 

**_Lol. I love you, see you there._ **

 

_I love you too, see you soon_

 

Cole put his phone away and leaned against the railing. “Hey, we leaving soon?”

 

“Ten more minutes since we're closer to the park than the girls,” Zane answered.

 

“Why do I have to have the baby face?” Lloyd suddenly said, resting his head on his arms. Jay and Cole rolled their eyes as Zane approached Lloyd and patted his head.

 

“Remember that you've only just started taking testosterone, Lloyd. Your face will change eventually,” the nindroid reassured, ignoring Lloyd’s glare.

 

“I know but I've had too much of baby face. I'm like eighteen, not twelve!”

 

“You act like you're twelve,” Jay commented, fixing his tie in the mirror. Lloyd gave him the middle finger. “You know I'm right. Don't you think we should leave early?” Jay changed the subject. “You know, just in case.”

 

“Yeah, Kai told me that he and Nya will be there in about an hour because of some traffic,” Cole said, already coming down the stairs.

 

“I suppose it wouldn't hurt us. Alright, let's go. Lloyd, get up,” Zane said, once again ignoring the glare and groan. The nindroid placed a hand in Jay’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”

 

The freckled man nodded, his smile finally confident. “Hell yeah.”

* * *

The ordained minister waited patiently in front of all the rows of seats that were quickly filling up. Ray and Maya were in the front row on one side, Ed and Edna on the other side. The four adults were chatting away, mostly the Walkers.

 

Lou sat behind the Walkers. He was overjoyed to be given an invitation. He wondered if Kai would change his hairstyle for today.

 

Not wanting to be anywhere near the center of attention, Lloyd sat in the seats a few rows away from the front. Wu and Misako were with him.

 

A lot of the Elemental Masters were there as well. Neuro was the first to speak to the groom. Cole and Zane went ahead to greet the others that arrived, the former squawking when Karlof picked him up.

 

“Thank you for inviting us. And congratulations, Jay,” Neuro said, shaking Jay’s hand.

 

“Thanks for coming. I didn't actually think so many people would come,” Jay commented.

 

“Yes, well, we are full of surprise-” Neuro cut himself off when he started to get certain vibes from Jay. Although he said he would not do so today, he took a quick peek in Jay’s mind.

 

He stepped back, confused. “Why are you going to do that to Cole? Isn't he your best friend?” he whispered, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching or listening to them. Jay groaned and rubbed his eyes. Of course someone else would find out.

 

“Look, Cole is a hopeless big gay and Kai is a disaster bi, according to Nya. They obviously like each other and they do all the romantic things but aren't  _dating_. If this is the only way to get them together, then so be it,” Jay explained himself. He grinned. “Okay, I'm gonna go talk to my parents. Bye!”

 

As the smaller man walked away, Neuro once again looked into someone's mind, this time it was Cole’s, who was busy arm wrestling Karlof. His mind was flooded with memories of restless nights, dancing, showering together, kisses of all sorts…

 

Should Neuro tell Jay?

 

No, no he won't. This would be way too good of a show to not let happen.

 

Neuro looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were forming. It might rain later today.

* * *

Everything and everyone was in place. The only people not there yet were the bride and her brother. And then, there they were.

 

Everyone was silent, taking in the sight of the Smith siblings walking down the aisle. Both were stunning but it was Nya’s day.

 

Like her, Nya’s dress was unique. It wasn't pure white but a gentle blue. There was a silk sash that was like a belt and a strap over her right shoulder. There was a faint swirl on the dress that shifted like water, and there was a hint of sparkles. Nya wore a headband but no veil and her hair was down. In her hands, she held a bouquet of red and pink roses with hydrangeas.

 

“Oh my god,” Jay muttered under his breath. He couldn't even gasp; she was so  _beautiful._ Cole softly whistled and rubbed Jay’s back. He could tell the poor guy was holding back tears. Fortunately, Jay wasn't the only one.

 

Kai wanted to bite his lip to keep it from trembling. His breathing was getting shakier and his cheeks were getting wet.

 

“Kai, don't cry. You said you wouldn't,” Nya said softly. She rubbed his arm. Kai wiped his cheeks dry with the edge of his sleeve.

 

“I lied,” Kai whimpered, tears falling faster than he could get rid of them. It wasn't a long walk down the aisle, but the two of them paused in the middle so Nya could help her brother. He laughed gently. “Alright, stop. Let's go, altar.”

 

They both saw their parents and soon-to-be parents-in-law dabbing their eyes dry. Kai was pretty sure he saw their mother nod in approval at the dress, a smirk on her face. Kai just  _knew_ she was proud of the fitting of the dress that he had done himself.

 

Nya smiled at their father, who was clearly struggling to hold back tears like his son.

 

Just before they could unlink their arms, Nya turned to Kai and hugged him tighter than she ever had before. Not even a Constrictai could have had as strong of a hold than she did.

 

“I'm lucky to have a brother like you. A dumb one, yeah… but you're the best brother ever,” Nya whispered. She grunted and smiled when her brother squeezed her back. Constrictai had NOTHING on them.

 

“I'm lucky to have you as a sister,” Kai said back, not even bothering to acknowledge the “dumb brother” part. “Now, go. I love you so much, sis.” Kai gently nudged Nya forward towards Jay and the minister. Nya blinked away her tears and let go. Kai joined their parents, sitting in between them.

 

The ceremony began, the minister projecting her voice to be heard, especially when a crowd of civilians had gathered in the park, recognizing the Water and Lightning ninjas. They were ignored, as well as their whispers.

 

Then, the vows.

 

“Nya, when we first met, it was puppy love. And then I got to know you for who you are,” Jay began. “I've never met anyone like you and the chance that I got to have you in my life is one I'm glad I never gave up. I don't know who I would be if you weren't my equal and made sure I didn't do something super stupid.” There was a mild chuckle in the crowd. “You bring so much happiness in my life just for standing by my side and I now have the chance to return all that happiness back to you and more.”

 

Cole and Zane nodded behind him. He finally nailed his vows. Ed and Edna were clapping softly.

 

“I-I don't know what to say,” Nya started before grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “Except this: Even after all that we've been through, all of the struggles and hardships, you've stuck by me. Even though today is the day that we are united on paper, I know that we have been that way for years and I will do anything, even fight for your smile and love and joy.”

 

This time, it was Ray, Maya, and Kai that clapped softly. The minister smiled.

 

“Do you, Jay Walker, take Nya Smith as your lawfully wedded wife, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so help you?” There was a soft chuckle.

 

“I do.”

 

“And do you, Nya Smith, take-”

 

“Hell yeah,” Nya interrupted. Skylor covered her mouth to prevent from cackling like a witch.

 

“Is she allowed to say that in front of you?” Pixal asked. The ordained minister only waved her hand.

 

“I've heard far worse. A teenage boy was said ‘That's so fucking gross’ when his mom was getting remarried and he had to watch her kiss. It was pretty funny, actually,” she said. Cole and Zane were wheezing at that point. The woman laughed. “Okay, since our sassy bride here is so confident and ready, less formalities and let's have those rings!” she shouted.

 

At first, there was no one walking up to the altar with the rings.

 

Then, they hear the barking.

 

“Jay, oh my god!” Nya laughed as a golden retriever ran towards her, a small pillow with two rings on it tucked into its collar. “Why didn't you tell me a dog was going to be the ring bearer?”

 

“I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone,” Jay laughed as well, petting the dog on its head. “He's from the shelter, but if you want… we can adopt him later today.”

 

“Nya, say yes!” Kai screamed from the front row. She laughed at her brother and removed the small pillow. Cole watched Kai get all excited over the one dog. Maybe he would be up for some apartment hunting one day.

 

Nya straightened up and held out one ring for Jay to wear. After sliding the ring onto his finger, Jay did the same for her. The dog just panted before lying down at Kai’s feet. He immediately cooed and petted the dog, repeatedly saying “What a good boy.”

 

“The rings are now on, yes? I pronounce you both husband and wife. Now you two crazy grown kids can kiss!” the minister shouted. Nya pulled Jay into her and they pressed their lips together, passion and joy evident. The rows of people and even the crowd of civilians stood up and cheered, their collected clapping like and storm. The dog howled to the sky, which now had more clouds gathering.

 

“Nya, toss the bouquet. Remember to aim,” Jay whispered once they separated. She nodded and turned around. Suddenly, everyone in the crowd was paying attention, except for her family; they didn't know what she was about to do.

 

Taking a deep breath, Nya tried to remember where her brother was exactly before throwing her arms back and letting go.

 

Kai screeched when Nya’s bouquet of flowers hit his chest and landed in his arms. “Nya, why’d you throw your flowers?”

 

“Looks like he's getting married next!” Shade shouted through cupped hands. Kai scrunched his face up in confusion and looked at Cole, silently asking for an explanation. Cole simply mouthed _I'll tell you later._

 

Jay leaned over and whispered into the minister’s ear. She nodded but was just as confused. Why would the groom want a bouquet of flowers as well, especially yellow tulips?

 

Her question was answered very quickly when the groom, as the younger generations would say, yeeted (or is it yote?) the bouquet at his best man's face.

 

“ _OW!_ WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Cole screamed, his hand rubbing where the flowers had hit him and the other arm accidentally cradling the flowers. Abandoning his seat, the dog, and even the bouquet of flowers, Kai ran to check Cole’s face.

 

In all honesty, while it did shock Cole, it didn't hurt as much as he was making it seem like. He was probably spoiled but he really liked having Kai fuss over him.

 

“Are you okay? Do you need me to get you anything?” Kai muttered, replacing Cole’s large, rough hands with his smaller but still rough ones. Cole smiled and shook his head. “Jay, why did you do that?”

 

“I didn't want to, but it was the only way to get you two to finally notice each other!” Jay exclaimed. Nya, Skylor, Zane, Pixal, and… well, quite literally everyone else that had seen what had happened were struggling to breathe properly, not wanting to laugh out loud. But somewhere in the crowd, there was probably someone who did not see it so they will never truly have such a fantastic experience in their mind. Poor person, must suck to be them.

 

“What do you mean?!” Cole shouted after a long, pregnant pause. He grabbed the bouquet he was holding. “And why tulips?”

 

“Oh my god, you two are hopeless! You're obviously in love but you just don't realize it!” Jay threw his hands up in the air. He ignored Neuro’s loud laugh.

 

Wait, why was _Neuro_ laughing?

 

“We're already dating, Mouth of Lightning!” Cole shouted. Nya choked. The ordained minister…

 

Well, this was easily the best day of her life.

 

“Since when?!” Jay shrieked.

 

“Since like the night of your bachelor party!” Kai explained with a raised voice. “Wasn't it obvious?”

 

“It really wasn't,” Lloyd said in the crowd. “Although I kinda figured it out a couple of days ago.”

 

“I read Cole’s mind,” Neuro said in between gulps of air. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

 

“Nah, no worries,” Cole said nonchalantly. “Jay, next time, for the love of the First Spinjitzu Master, ask before you act. But thanks for the flowers, man.”

 

“Oh yeah, uh, cool. I'm sorry, I just thought-” Jay started to ramble.

 

“Don't apologize. Now, isn't one of you supposed to carry the other down the aisle?”

 

“I got it!” Nya said, picking a stuttering Jay up bridal style and ran down the aisle as everyone clapped. Over her shoulder, she screamed, “This way for cake!”

 

Kai screeched when Cole picked him up the same way Nya did with Jay and sprinted in their direction. The dog followed close behind, barking.

* * *

“Okay, so yellow tulips mean ‘hopeless love’, I guess,” Kai informed, scrolling through his phone before setting it down and eating a piece of chocolate cake. He hummed happily.

 

“Probably should have gotten the flowers to the face about three months ago,” Cole joked, eating half of his current piece of ice cream cake (Neapolitan, bitch!) before offering a small bite to Kai, who opened his mouth the way a stubborn child would. “God, that's adorable.”

 

“Me or the flowers?” Kai teased.

 

“Yes.” Cole laughed as Kai punched his arm.

 

“Okay, but why three months?” The Master of Earth brushed his bangs out of the way, chewing on his lip.

 

“That was when Jay first questioned me about... well, _us._ He thought we were dating but we weren't. I guess with the way we acted before and after starting to date, we don't act differently,” Cole explained shortly.

 

“Maybe we were dating and we never knew we were dating,” Kai thought out loud, finishing the rest of his cake. He rested his head on Cole’s bicep. “Mmm, stuffed.” He sighed contently as Cole scratched his scalp with his free hand.

 

The reception was about as tame as it could be. Someone who was being very reckless and was most definitely  _not_ Griffin Turner almost destroyed the wedding cake. Skylor and Lloyd were having their conversation about their own transitioning at a table a little separated from the others. It was okay though, it was a private talk.

 

With the cake safe, Nya jokingly pushed Jay’s face into his slice of cake and came out with a mustache. Zane and Pixal were laughing and sharing information about who knows what. And the Elemental Masters…

 

They were being the Elemental Masters, for better or worse. They were already dancing and it was quite entertaining to watch.

 

Cole reached for the last piece of ice cream cake when two glasses of champagne were set in front of him and Kai. At first, he was going to ignore it but he felt Kai gulp and was positive he heard it as well.

 

“You good?” he asked, poking Kai’s cheek. The brunet giggled softly and turned his head away.

 

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Kai mumbled into Cole’s jacket. Cole could have believed him, sure, but he saw the flexing fingers gripping at his dress pants. He held out another bite of cake for Kai before speaking.

 

“Wanna go take a walk? We  _are_ in the park,” Cole offered. Kai nodded and ate the piece of cake before standing up. Cole shoveled the rest of it into his mouth before grinning and pushing his chair in. “How far do you wanna go?”

 

Kai shrugged. “Wherever our feet decide to go. Hey, boy!” Kai cooed as the dog came running at him. “You wanna come with us? Wanna get a long walk in? C’mon, boy.” The dog circled around the brunet’s legs before trotting forward.

 

“I guess we're following the dog,” Cole commented. Like that was a bad thing.

* * *

“Well, what kind of dog would you want to get?” Cole asked, scratching the golden retriever behind his ears. They were sitting on the bench- well, _Cole_ was. Kai was lying down, his head resting on his boyfriend’s lap. Sighing fondly, he ran his fingers through brown hair.

 

“Heeee,” Kai giggled. “There are so many possibilities, so many dogs! Uuuuhhhh… Pitbull. We get a pitbull.”

 

“Okay, why? Or should I say it myself because I really don't want to.” Everyone knew that there were still dog fights happening, but they were so hard to find that the Ninja would only ever find the injured dogs in alleyways. They were almost always pitbulls or rottweilers.

 

“It makes me sad that they're such a feared breed. Just look at their faces! They're just dogs that wanna love! Like you, boy,” Kai whined, reaching out to pet the dog. He licked the human fingers that reached out to him. Kai laughed at the feeling. “Hey, Cole, you like cats?” The Master of Earth gasped.

 

“They're so small and cute! If you want a cat, we get a black one, no discussion or questions about it,” Cole insisted.

 

“It'd be like that Pixar animation. _Kitbull_ , right?”

 

“Geez, that made me cry.”

 

“Yeah, me t- Gah!” Kai jumped and sat straight up. He was surprised to feel something wet hit his forehead. “Cole, look at the clouds.”

 

Cole looked up and yep, it was gonna start to rain. He stood up, gently nudging the dog in the direction of the party. The dog took off, barking and running.

 

“Let's go,” Cole said and began to walk away from the bench until he looked back and saw Kai heading for the cherry blossom tree that grew behind the bench. “Kai, where are you going? Party is that way.”

 

Kai looked over his shoulder and smirked, jumping up to grab the lowest branch and pulled himself up. “I know. Come up.”

 

“I- Kai,” Cole stuttered before groaning. The droplets were starting to get a rhythm and were falling harder. “Fine.” He jogged back to the tree and did his best to climb it the way Kai had. Except he was no acrobat and Kai was much smaller than him. He was swinging his leg, sitting on a branch just above Cole’s head. “How'd you get there so fast?”

 

“Remember the water tower in my home village?” Cole nodded, lifting himself up to Kai’s branch. “I used to climb that thing every single day. Still hold the record for fastest climber,” Kai bragged. Cole couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of course Kai would have that record.

 

When Cole finally sat down next to Kai, the clouds let go and the rain fell hard. From a distance, they could see the rain piling over where the party was.

 

“Look at that, Nya and Skylor got this,” Kai said with a soft chuckle. He leaned against Cole’s shoulder. “I love you, teddy bear.”

 

Cole wrapped his arm around Kai’s torso, his mind and thoughts calmed by the rain. “I love you too, baby.”

 

Kai sighed audibly. “This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be.” He practically purred when Cole ran his fingers through his hair.

 

“Of course it will be. But if you gave up on your first try every single time, would you have become a ninja?” Cole said with a knowing smile. The brunet chuckled.

 

“Yeah, okay. You got me there.” Cole leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on the side of Kai’s neck, which drew another giggle.

 

“I know you can do this. You're Kai, after all. Although it might have been a bit too extreme with the tattoo,” Cole pondered.

 

Kai scoffed. “I thought you knew me. I _have_ to be extreme.” The two of them laughed as Kai tried to elbow Cole in the stomach. “Y’know what I just realized?”

 

“Mm, what?” Cole nuzzled his nose against the skin of Kai’s neck and linked their legs together.

 

“We didn't get to dance.”

 

“Aww, so it all went to waste,” Cole said sadly.

 

“Uh, nope. We can still dance. In the rain,” Kai suggested, resting his cheek on top of Cole’s head.

 

“Oh god, that's so cheesy. I don't wanna get wet,” Cole weakly protested. He could sense he was gonna give in somehow.

 

“And I’m lactose intolerant, but I still eat pizza with extra cheese. Come on, _please._ I can dry us off later. And I'll get you whatever you want once we're done. Please!” Kai begged. Cole gave him a side eye before groaning.

 

“Fine! Give me a moment though. I climb mountains, not trees,” Cole said, slowly sliding off the branch.

 

“Isn’t it the same? It's climbing tall things,” Kai said, putting his feet on the branch and prepared to jump to the one across from him. He tightened his grip and dropped the lowest branch before jumping to the ground. He looked up and grinned at Cole.

 

“First, don't ever do that again. I almost had a heart attack,” Cole scolded. “Second, there's a difference between mountain climbing and tree climbing. I just can't think of one right now.” Kai cackled and was still trying to catch his breath when Cole finally touched the ground. “Oh yeah, less branches in the all the way when climbing mountains.”

 

“I think that would be helpful,” Kai teased. He held out his right hand to Cole and grinned. The larger man smiled back and took the proffered hand, placing his other hand on Kai’s waist.

 

They started out slow and were quickly drenched. Then Cole laughed and picked Kai up, spinning around and making the smaller man laugh as well.

 

Had they have known they could still be seen by the others still at the party, they still would have danced in the rain without a care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kitbull still makes me cry GODDAMNIT
> 
> Twitter: @/kellyeeistrash  
> Instagram: love_a_sexy_trash_can


	4. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short and sweet uwu

Kai sighed. He was exhausted and, to be completely honest, his ass hurt still. But he forgave Cole anyway with all the cuddling and hair playing he was getting.

 

“I'm sorry,” Cole mumbled into his skin again.

 

“It's okay. Whose first time is ever perfect?” Kai reassured, stroking the muscled arm next to him.

 

“Still, I didn't want to hurt you. You should have told me to stop,” Cole said before furrowing his eyebrows. “Never mind, I know you. You still wouldn't have said shit.”

 

“Ding-ding-ding,” Kai joked. “But I promise I'll say something next time.”

 

“Then we're gonna need a safe word. Maybe… fruitcake? No, lava!” Cole suggested. Kai rolled his eyes but nodded.

 

“Lava it is.” It was really early, the sun wasn't even out yet. But something felt off, Kai could feel it. He tried to think but his brain was still fuzzy from sleep.

 

Then it clicked and he shot up, ignoring the slight shock of pain in his lower back. “Condom! I forgot to yell at Jay!”

 

“Hey, hey, calm down! Lie down,” Cole told him, gently pushing Kai’s chest to get him back onto the bed. “What about a condom and Jay?”

 

“Y’know, in case they have sex. I'm a brother; it's kind of my job to make sure Jay doesn't screw up,” Kai admitted, playing with his thumbs.

 

Cole decided that it'd be better not to mention that time Jay told him of him and Nya getting down when Kai was not in the  _ Bounty _ in the past. Instead, he rubbed Kai’s belly, getting a soft giggle.

 

“Kai, you're not supposed to worry about that. They're smart enough to know to have protection. It'll be fine,” Cole said softly. He watched as his words were being processed, Kai’s eyes shining. “It's none of your business anyway. What  _ is _ your business is what happens between us, okay?” Smiling, Kai nodded. “Besides, you'd be a fun uncle.”

 

“Okay,” Kai laughed, lightly hitting Cole’s wrist. “Well, since this relationship is my business, you forgot to tell me what catching a thrown bouquet means.” Cole chuckled and wrapped his arms around Kai’s waist.

 

“It basically means that you'll be getting married next,” he explained.

 

“And a bouquet to the face?”

 

“That means Jay is an idiot,” Cole said.

 

“Okay, so am I seeing a ring any time soon?” Kai teased. Cole laughed loudly.

 

“Mm, nah. Not an engagement ring, at least. Maybe a promise ring in like a year or two,” Cole hummed, rubbing his chin on the top of Kai’s head. No spikes, only soft curls.

 

“What's a promise ring?” Kai asked, his eyelids feeling heavier.

 

“Basically, you're promised to be engaged.”

 

“Aww, that's cute. I like that,” Kai whispered. “Can I get a ring anyway?”

 

“I'll get you a Ring Pop,” Cole mumbled. Kai laughed so hard he kicked his legs under the covers. “Let's just get a whole box and eat them all!”

 

“Oh god, we'll get so sick!”

 

“It'd be worth it,” Cole said, sticking out the tip of his tongue. He kissed the tip of Kai’s nose before starting to do the same with all the freckles he could see.

 

“Cole, stop,” Kai giggled. He definitely didn't want him to stop. Cole went on counting. When he finished, he placed one more kiss on Kai’s lips. “Wow, that was gay.”

 

“Well, do I have news for you,” Cole joked. He turned on his side and Kai did the same so they would face each other. Just like the first night they slept together, Cole’s back faced the door. This time, they were much closer together. “I love you.”

 

Kai reached up and rubbed a thumb against Cole’s temple, where his scar was. He smiled. “I love you too.”

 

When the sun finally decided to show itself, Earth and Fire had fallen asleep again in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so serious thing now.
> 
> I'm going to write as much as I can so I can update most of my fics soon because I'm going to visit family in Colombia for the first time and I don't know if I'll be able to use a computer. It'll be about a month but don't worry! I'll be writing and catching up. So hopefully, y'all will see a few chapters from my fics soon. I hope you enjoyed this one because this was a PIECE to work with.
> 
> Have a great day/afternoon/evening/night/whatever!


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